


Blood Tide

by EOsman



Series: Tales From the Wasteland [2]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Acadia (Fallout), Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst with a Happy Ending, Atom - Freeform, Brotherhood of Steel (Fallout), Commonwealth, Conflict, Death, Detective, F/F, Factions, Far Harbor, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fog, Hallucinations, Happy Ending, Harbormen, Hope, Injury, Island - Freeform, Killing, Love, Missing Persons, Monsters, Mystery, Nucleus (Fallout), Original Character(s), Post-Nuclear War, Religion, Robots, Romance, Sea, Sex, Slow Burn, Smut, Synths, Tragic Character, Trappers, War, children of atom, radiation, valentine's detective agency
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-02-04 16:08:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 33
Words: 167,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12774609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EOsman/pseuds/EOsman
Summary: A new case from Valentine's Detective Agency leads Brotherhood soldier Solo Woods on a search for a young woman who has mysteriously disappeared. The Institute is gone, and she still mourns for the loss of her son. Crossing the sea towards the fog-drenched island of Far Harbor provides the distraction and possibility for answers she has been searching for.Piper Wright has always felt that getting into trouble is just part of chasing the truth. When she hears about Valentine's new case, she has no qualms about dropping everything and following a relative stranger into the unknown. Together, Solo and Piper navigate through the secrets and mysteries hidden away in Far Harbor on a search for the truth.But at what cost?





	1. The Boogeyman Banished?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper meets Solo Woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter acts almost as a prologue, establishing the relationship (or acquaintanceship, really) that Piper Wright and Solo Woods have before the main events of the story. Enjoy!

Piper was exhausted. Painfully, frustratingly exhausted. And yet here she was, standing outside the rust-streaked emerald green barricade, one hand resting against the cool metal while she glared down at the intercom box with an expression of exasperation. Obviously, Danny couldn’t see her, but at least she felt like she was standing up for herself. No one else would.

Her voice seemed excessively loud in the general silence of the cobbled square, sending mutant crows flying off in clouds of feathers whenever it rose in volume. The Diamond City security guards were very carefully ignoring her, turning heel whenever their patrols led them into the square, knowing full well that it would be better not to get involved. Piper Wright, infamous reporter, caused nothing but trouble. Most people knew to stay away.

Piper pressed a hand to her forehead, sighing. Maybe she should have waited a few days before publishing that article suggesting the mayor was a synth. She’d told Nat to print it while she was gone, and it seemed the truth hadn’t gone down well. In fact, considering she was in exile all of a sudden, it must have gone down _very_ badly. Not that this was the first time; Piper had been ‘exiled’ from the city an outstanding number of seven times, and she’d always managed to find a way back in. She was as resilient as a radroach.

“ _Piper…_ ” Danny’s voice sounded typically weary, as if she’d awoken him from a particularly restless sleep. “ _I’m telling you, I can’t open the gate._ ”

Piper rolled her eyes, her frustration growing even fiercer. “What do you mean you “can’t” open the gate?” she growled. “Stop playing around, Danny! I’m standing out in the open here, for crying out loud!”

Almost as if to prove her point, she glanced back over her shoulder to glance worriedly around the square. The streetlights cast most of it in a bright yellow glow, turning the baseball statue into a shining monument. Apart from a few rattling cans and rustling branches, she couldn’t quite hear the sound of any footsteps. But it was dangerous enough in the Commonwealth at night, and she hadn’t exactly killed the last of those raiders before fleeing here. They’d been right on her tail…

“ _I got orders not to let you in, Ms Piper_ ,” Danny muttered apologetically. “ _I’m sorry. I’m just doin’ my job_.”

Piper turned back to the intercom. “Ooh, just doing your job?” she scoffed. “Protecting Diamond City means keeping me out – that it?” She laughed, though her voice was heavy with sarcasm. “‘Ooh, look, it’s the scary reporter’ – _boo_!”

“ _I’m sorry_ ,” Danny repeated tiredly. “ _But Mayor McDonough’s really steamed, Piper. Sayin’ that article you wrote was all lies. The whole city’s in a tizzy._ ”

Piper was glad. Her success came from the most controversial stories, and if the whole city was complaining about this one, she was doing better than ever. Still… she wished they would all finally understand that she only wanted the best for them. She put herself in danger daily just so she could find out the truth, and yet public opinion still stated that her articles were "too negative". People just didn’t want to know about anything these days, even with the Institute operating from the shadows and raiders swarming the city. They were impossible.

Piper let out a noise of pure frustration, slamming her hand against the barricade and hearing the resounding metal hum. “You open this gate right now, Danny Sullivan! I live here – you can’t just lock me out!”

There was no reply, just a loud click as Danny switched off on his end and resigned her to her fate. Feeling as if she was about to explode, Piper clenched her fists and forced herself to calm down, taking a deep breath. She wanted her bed, and she wanted to see Nat. She wanted to go _home_ , goddammit! It could take hours – maybe even days – to find a way back in.

“Open up,” she groaned. “Danny, you know I-”

“Excuse me.”

Piper whipped around immediately, startled, and stared wide-eyed at the woman who had appeared out of nowhere. Who the hell moved that silently?

She was covered in blood and dirt, face smudged with radioactive dust, though she was much sharper round the edges than most people – it was as if the radiation and the hard living hadn’t worn her down yet. Beneath all the blood and dirt was skin as pale and smooth as porcelain, and the eyes, although bloodshot, had a sense of alertness within them Piper hadn’t seen before. Most importantly was the blue skin-tight suit she was wearing, clinging to every limb and curve, shredded more or less to ribbons. The woman looked as if she’d been thrown into a blender.

Piper had never seen one of those suits in person before, but she knew what it was – she’d seen it almost all over the Commonwealth, on those posters from before the great war. A vault suit. This woman had lived in one of those state-of-the-art Vault Tec hideouts, which explained why she looked so different to most people.

Instantly, Piper had an idea – the pieces clicked together in her mind, and she allowed a small smile as she beckoned the woman over.

“You – you want into Diamond City, right?”

The woman’s eyes narrowed, and her fingers clenched around the pipe pistol in her hands. She really hadn’t been out here long, had she?

“What?” the woman replied uncertainly. “Who are you?”

“Shh! Just… play along.” Piper cleared her throat and turned back to the intercom. “Uh… what was that? You said you’re a trader up from Quincy? You have enough supplies to keep the general store stocked for a whole month?” She grinned. “Huh...”

She heard the sudden click that signified she’d captured Danny’s attention, and her smile grew even wider. “You hear that, Danny? You gonna open this gate and let us in, or are you gonna be the one talking to crazy Myrna about losing out on all the supplies?”

There was a lengthy silence as Danny contemplated this offer, and Piper delivered the stranger a confident wink. It seemed she’d be returning home sooner than she thought.

“ _Geez, alright!_ ” Danny’s exasperated voice muttered, crackling with static. “ _No need to make it personal, Piper. Give me a minute._ ”

Triumphant, Piper snapped her fingers and then focused her full attention on the woman, scrutinizing her curiously. Dark hair, pale skin, most of her face cast in shadows. A bright blue vault suit. She was a Commonwealth enigma, and Piper was thinking her arrival might mean something important.

“Better head inside quick before ole’ Danny catches onto the bluff,” Piper said after a second.

The bright green gate began to whir and click, shifting up from the concrete and sending dust billowing. The woman’s eyes widened, focusing on the movement, and she clutched her gun even tighter. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. Just how much had she been through? Who was she? Why was she out here?

Piper wanted to comfort her somehow, but she wasn’t so good at being sympathetic. Instead, she waited for the woman’s eyes to return to her face. The gate let out a large _clang_ as it came to a stop, and Piper managed a calming smile.

“You first,” the woman said finally.

Piper’s eyes flickered to the pipe pistol in her hands before she nodded. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She turned immediately and led the way, passing through the row of turnstile gates leading into the city’s entrance. There was already a scattering of people waiting for her – a warm welcome, it seemed.

Mayor McDonough was perhaps the most surprising, arms crossed over his chest and beady eyes glowering at her as she approached. He looked particularly weasely tonight, and Piper almost wanted to stick her tongue out at him. She refrained, smiling instead.

“Piper – who let you back inside?” he demanded. “I told Sullivan to keep that gate shut. You devious, rabble-rousing slanderer – the level of dishonesty in that paper of yours! I’ll have your printer scrapped for parts-”

“Ooh, that a statement Mr. McDonough?” Piper interrupted snidely. She gestured dramatically with her hands. “‘Tyrant Major Shuts Down the Press!’”

His shaggy eyebrows lowered, and he opened his mouth to protest, but Piper simply stopped and turned to the woman behind her. “Why don’t we ask the newcomer? D’you support the news? ‘Cause the mayor’s threatening to throw free speech in the dumpster!”

The woman had stopped just next to the turnstiles, expression dark as she regarded their exchange. She was holding her pistol loosely at her side, but Piper had a feeling it wouldn’t take much to get her to use it.

“What newspaper are you talking about?” she asked guardedly.

“ _Mine_ ,” Piper declared self-assuredly. “Publick Occurrences – and we’re the hard look at the truth. So are you with us or not?”

The woman’s eyes looked her up and down, glinting with some sort of recognition. She shrugged. “Always believed in freedom of the press.”

Triumphantly, Piper turned to glance pointedly at the mayor. He raised his hands in a small gesture of defeat, observing the woman with a jovial expression. “Oh, I didn’t mean to bring you into this argument, Miss. No no no… you look like Diamond City material.”

The woman seemed surprised he was addressing her directly. She cocked her head at him.

“Welcome to the great jewel of the Commonwealth!” the mayor announced. “A fine place to come, spend your money, settle down. Don’t let this muckraker here tell you otherwise, all right?”

Piper glared at him.

The woman took a long time to reply, face as cold as carved ice. She was still standing mostly in the shadows, as if she had some sort of aversion to light. “This hasn’t been the friendliest welcome,” she said darkly.

“She’s got you there, McDonough,” Piper grinned. “Guess not everyone gets won over by that shark smile of yours.”

McDonough cleared his throat, turning his back on her. “Now… was there anything in particular you came to our city for, Miss?”

Her face darkened and her eyes darted over to Piper. “Just looking for something.”

“Oh? What is it you’re looking for?” McDonough enquired.

“Who would I talk to about finding a missing person?”

McDonough seemed momentarily lost for words, and Piper took the opportunity to cut in. “Whatever you do, don’t bother going to Diamond City security for help,” she muttered.

“Don’t listen to her!” McDonough said hurriedly. “While I’m afraid that our security team can’t follow every case that comes through, I’m confident that you can find help here. Diamond City has every conceivable service known to man. One of our great citizens can surely find the time to help you.”

The woman took a step away from the turnstiles and towards him, her face suddenly lit brightly with orange. She had an almost hungry expression on her face, eyes surveying McDonough. “A mayor of a great city must know everyone. Who can help me?”

The mayor’s eyes widened, and he cleared his throat again. “Well, there’s one private citizen. Nick Valentine. A… detective of sorts who specializes in tracking people down. Usually for debts and whatnot.”

When she said nothing to that, he took a quick step back and said, “Now, I have to get going. I’m sorry Diamond City security doesn’t have time to help, but I’m sure Mister Valentine charges a reasonable fee.”

Piper stepped forward before he could escape, growling, “This is ridiculous! I want the truth, McDonough! What’s the real reason security always shrivels away when talk of missing persons comes up?”

“I’ve had enough of this, Piper,” the mayor snapped, jabbing his finger in her direction. “From now on, consider you and that little sister of yours on notice.”

Piper shot back, “Yeah, keep talkin’, McDonough – that’s all you’re good for!”

McDonough just waved a hand dismissively at her, turning and heading up the stairs to Diamond City. Piper glowered after him until he’d disappeared and then quickly schooled her features into a friendly smile.

“I’m impressed. Not everyone can claw information out of McDonough’s tight-fisted hands.”

The woman hardly even acknowledged her compliment, simply studying her again. She was cold and distant, and Piper could see now that her face was swollen with bruises – perhaps that was why she was staying out of the light. “Do you… need some medical help?” Piper asked carefully. “I’ve got a few-”

“Does the city have a doctor?” the woman interrupted.

“Well… yeah. Doctor Sun. But the clinic opens at about seven-thirty in the morning, so-”

“I’ll go see him first thing.”

“Oh. Yeah, good idea,” Piper said. She felt suddenly very awkward. It was on a very rare occasion that she was lost for words. Who the hell was this woman, and what was her problem? Who was she trying to find?

Piper crossed her arms and said, “Why don’t you stop by my office after you see Valentine? I think I’ve just found my next story.”

There was no hint that the woman was either happy or unhappy about this, but she did nod. And then, without so much as a goodbye, she simply turned and headed up the stairs after McDonough, progressing into Diamond City.

Piper was used to impoliteness from the citizens of Diamond City, but from strangers? Not exactly. And it wasn’t even as if the woman was trying to be cold and calculating – more like she couldn’t find it in her to be friendly. If anything, Piper was even more curious about her. How often did mysteries like this come through Diamond City?

With a slight smile on her face, Piper hiked her bag further up on her shoulder and then headed right after her. She had the hell of a lot to tell Nat when she got home.

 ---

A MONTH LATER…

Piper was startled by the sound of a knock and then the rusty handle of her front door turning. She straightened from where she’d been crouched fiddling with the printing press and looked over her shoulder. Publick Occurrences was warm, the radio was playing, and she had spent most of the morning trying to fix the broken machine. She certainly hadn’t expected a visitor.

She smiled in surprise when she saw who it was. It had been weeks, but she still remembered how this woman looked. Dark hair, pale skin, light eyes. But the vault suit was gone, replaced with a Brotherhood uniform. Piper’s smile dropped as she regarded the woman, eyebrows raised.

A month ago, after the woman had rescued Valentine and he’d set out to help her, Piper had spent plenty of time trying to get information out of him, especially since she’d never gotten that interview. He’d mentioned her name was Solo Woods and she was a damn good fighter, but he hadn’t said anything about her being one of those Brotherhood fanatics. Perhaps this was a more recent development in the mystery of the vault dweller.

It wasn’t that Piper hated the Brotherhood exactly, as their interests often aligned with her own, but she certainly didn’t agree with their utilitarian beliefs and their lack of ability in maintaining peace. All they wanted to do was destroy anything that wasn’t human. Collateral damage was almost to be expected. Was this woman really one of them?

“Your sister said I could come in,” the woman said. She seemed much more confident now, and slightly less unfriendly, even offering up a smile as she shut the door behind her.

Piper wiped ink off her hands with a dusty rag and beamed. “Glad you dropped by. You holdin’ up, Blue?”

The woman paused by the door, an eyebrow raised. “Why’re you calling me that?”

Piper grinned. “‘Cause you’re… a vault dweller? I know you’re not wearing that blue jumpsuit right now, but the Pip-Boy and that ‘fish out of water’ look? Dead giveaways.”

The woman was taken aback. “I don’t think I ever really introduced myself.”

“Solo Woods,” Piper said smoothly. “Saved Nicky’s life, looking for a missing person…” She regarded the BOS suit. “Joined the Brotherhood, apparently. Did I miss anything?”

“Plenty. But I’m still impressed.” The woman smiled discreetly. “You’re perceptive.”

“I’m a reporter,” Piper pointed out dryly. “My job is to look for answers.”

“Fair enough.”

Piper placed her dirty rag on top of the printing press and strode over, feeling she had sufficiently broken the ice. The woman had a few new bruises on her face, but the lack of dirt and blood meant her features were much more visible. She had the fine-boned, delicate attributes of those women on the front pages of beauty magazines. Full lips, long eyelashes, eyes the colour of the Commonwealth sky – that is to say, _grey_. Piper was a little unsettled by the fact she was beautiful, especially since she already looked so different from the other people in Diamond City.

“Is Solo your real name?” she found herself asking impulsively.

The woman shrugged. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“It just sounds like you belong in a comic,” Piper said. “Some mercenary superhero who walks the world alone, slaughtering the bad guys.”

Solo shook her head slightly. “It’s my real name. However… fitting that may be.”

Piper smiled. “Right.” She folded her arms across her chest, suddenly getting a sense of discomfort under the other woman’s gaze. “To what do I owe this pleasure? Anything I can do for you?”

Solo interlaced her fingers and looked around the house, eyes appraising all the mismatched furniture. The place was never clean, but at least it was comfortable. Piper wondered what this woman thought of it.

“Figured I’d finally drop by for that interview,” she said simply.

“Really?” Piper perked up. “Ready to give Diamond City a little outside perspective, huh?”

“I’m ready to share my story.”

Piper quickly reached for a pad of paper and her pen, which were lying on the coffee table, and gestured over to the couch. “Get yourself comfortable. You want anything to drink?”

“I’m fine.”

Piper sat beside her, watching as the other woman shifted to face her. “What kind of interview is this gonna be?”

“I ask you who you are, get your opinion on life out there, and maybe load up a few tough questions to keep it interesting,” Piper clarified. She flipped to a clean page and readied her pen, glancing up at Solo. “Sound all right?”

“Yeah.” The woman looked surprisingly uncomfortable now, almost as if she was sitting on a pile of needles. Piper hid a smile as she touched her pen to the paper.

“So… I know you’re from a vault. How would you describe your time on the inside?”

“My family and I were frozen. I didn’t spend much time in the vault,” Solo replied shortly.

Piper paused in the middle of her writing, struggling not to stare at the woman in surprise. She’d heard all sorts of freaky things about Vault Tec, but… this was something completely new. They’d kept Solo frozen? What did that even mean?

Piper lowered the pad. “Wait… they boxed you up in a fridge? The whole time?”

Solo nodded slightly.

“Are you… saying you were alive before the war?”

“Which war?”

Piper wondered if she was kidding. “Uh… the one that gave us this lovely landscape of demolished buildings and radiation every ten feet?” She stared at Solo unabashedly now, buzzing with questions. “You’re telling me you saw everything before they blasted it into pieces?”

Solo’s lips twitched into a sarcastic smile. “Behold – I am immortal.”

“You know, I guess you kind of are, aren’t you?” Piper responded amusedly. She quickly bent over her paper, scribbling down notes. “Oh my God – ‘The Woman Out of Time’ – _perfect_ …” She straightened. “So, you’ve seen the Commonwealth. Diamond City. How does it compare to your old life?”

Solo scratched the back of her neck. “Honestly, seeing everyone surviving out here, trying to rebuild… it gives me hope.”

Piper blinked at her. “That’s surprisingly inspired, Blue,” she said. “We’re definitely quoting that. And now for the big question – you came all this way looking for someone. Who is it?”

Solo almost physically recoiled from the question, eyes flashing and fists clenching in her lap. Piper already knew she’d crossed a line, but she didn’t want to stop. Being nosy was what reporters did. How else would she get this story?

“Why do you care?” Solo muttered, her aloofness having returned.

“This is news,” Piper insisted. “No one else in Diamond City cares about the missing, but my paper does.”

Solo worked her way up to the answer, biting her lip. “I… lost family, okay? I’m trying to get one of them back.”

So it was the family that was frozen with her in the vault that she was looking for. What happened to them? Where were they now?

Piper leaned forward, trying to be consoling. “What’s their name, Blue? Who are they?”

Solo blinked several times, staring down at her lap, and then met Piper’s eyes. The emotion in them was startling, like swirling smoke tinged at the edges with blue. Eyes the colour of the ocean right before dawn lit the water. “My baby, Shaun, was kidnapped. He’s not even a year old.”

Piper allowed herself to sit back, releasing a despondent sigh. “A parent after a missing child. As heartbreaking today as it ever was.” She clenched her jaw. “Tell me… do you suspect the Institute’s involved?”

“They could be.” The answer was short and quick, almost as if Solo had been expecting it. Piper wondered if that was why she had joined the Brotherhood – maybe they’d promised her the destruction of the Institute. It was a bold promise to make, but Piper wouldn’t expect anything less from them. And she didn’t blame this poor woman for wanting the reassurance of abolishing the Institute for all they’d done.

“Not even a baby’s safe from them,” Piper said sadly. “And people wonder why I can’t just look the other way…” She stopped herself, clenching her pen tighter between her fingers. “I’d… like to do something different for the last part of our interview. I want you to make a statement to Diamond City directly. What would you say to someone who’s lost a loved one but might be too scared or numb to the world to look for them?”

Again, Solo’s face depicted her adverse reaction to the question, as if it had struck too close to home. She thought for a long time, chewing on her lip, eyes flickering. “No matter how much you want to give up… don’t. You have to have hope that you’ll see them again. Or at least that you’ll know the truth.”

Piper still had so many questions. She wanted to know more about Shaun, about her family, about the world before the war. But she already had all she needed for the paper. And she already knew how painful it was to lose a loved one – no point in making it worse for this woman.

“A strong note to end on, Blue. Thanks,” Piper said softly. “That’s everything. It’s gonna take some time to get the story together, but I think it’ll give Diamond City plenty to talk about.”

“I hope so,” Solo said.

“Is there anything else you wanted to-”

“No, that’s all.” The woman stood up quickly, glancing down at Piper. “Thanks for the interview. Maybe… I’ll see you around.”

“Maybe.” Piper stood up too and held out her hand. “I hope you find your son, Blue. If you ever need my help with anything, just let me know.”

Solo’s smile was tight. “Thanks, Piper.”

Her handshake was firm, her hand cool and dry, and she left the house almost immediately afterwards, as if she was making a desperate escape. Piper sat back down on the couch, shaking her head and looking through her notes. Very abruptly, she felt tired. And evermore curious about the vault dweller woman who had crossed her path. This would make for a brilliant story, but she had a feeling it didn’t end there. There was more to come.

 ---

THREE MONTHS LATER…

“We've all succumbed to it, at one point or another,” Piper muttered under her breath, typing at the same time. “No matter how brave, or how strong we actually are, the people of the Commonwealth have known fear…” She paused, almost feverish from her inspiration.

That morning, Diamond City radio had been the first to report on the gigantic explosion they had felt throughout the Commonwealth. Piper had spent the day in Dugout Inn speaking with her sources, learning as much information she could.

Apparently, the Institute was gone. Apparently, they were saved.

Piper wouldn’t have believed it, except she was getting the same information from all her sources, and the radio gave more details in the afternoon report. The explosion had been the Institute itself – the Brotherhood had blown the place up and let it burn. The whole of Diamond City was celebrating, and hardly anyone had been working. All of them were down at Diamond City’s two bars, drinking and chatting away about the destruction of the Institute. Only Piper and Nat were here, typing up what would be tomorrow’s newspaper.

Nat was sitting on the bed watching her type, swinging her feet. “Are you gonna write about the soldier woman on the radio? Bobby was saying his daddy met her, and she was about seven feet tall. He said she had a giant gun, and she was invincible-”

“Nat, shh,” Piper chastised her. “I’ve met her too, remember? She’s certainly not seven feet, and she’s certainly not invincible. But… she was involved, yeah.”

Solo Woods was a member of the Brotherhood. Piper couldn’t help but question how it was possible that such a mysterious woman could change the Commonwealth in only three months. She had a feeling Solo had played a major part in the taking down of the Institute, and now wanted more than ever to see her and talk to her about it.

“Just imagine,” Piper said to herself. “An interview with the savior of the Commonwealth… the vault dweller, the immortal woman out of time…”

“So she _is_ gonna be in it?” Nat questioned.

“Shh!” Piper hissed again.

Nat huffed and laid back against the bed, falling silent. Piper placed her fingertips against the keys and began typing again, building up speed as she grew more confident.

“…If my sources are correct - and I know they are - the Institute's destruction was actually orchestrated by someone many of us have already met - the Vault Dweller. It would seem that lonely figure who came into our settlement searching for a missing child actually found the monster that had taken so many children. And killed it…”

“Did she find the child?”

Piper blinked, turning away from the terminal. “Huh?”

“You said she was searching for a missing child,” Nat pointed out. “Did she find it or not?”

Piper stared at her little sister, thinking hard. “I have no idea. I guess… I could ask Valentine. I know the Institute had Shaun, but if Blue managed to-”

“Blue?”

“Blue – vault suit – vault dweller,” Piper explained tersely. “It’s just a nickname, kiddo.” She turned back to the terminal, stretching her fingers.

“You’re friends with her?” Nat suddenly sat up, dark eyes bright. “Can I meet her?”

“No… not exactly,” Piper muttered.

“Oh.” She picked at the mattress, pouting. “D’you think she’ll come back to Diamond City?”

“Probably. And I want an interview with her, so she’d better,” Piper said firmly. “Now be quiet, okay? I need to finish this.”

“Fine. Can I go to Bobby’s house?”

“No – you’re grounded.”

“But I’ve never been grounded before!” Nat whined. “I was only-”

“Put in detention,” Piper finished for her, shooting her a look. “And I don’t want it happening again.”

“It won’t!”

“Prove it.”

Nat scowled, jumping off the bed and storming downstairs, making the wood shake. Piper sighed and turned back to the screen.

After a few seconds, she began to type again:

_So be wary as we go into a new tomorrow, my friends. But stay strong. And always, always remember that humanity lives and dies on the surface. Humanity IS the Commonwealth. And maybe, just maybe, with the Institute finally gone, we can have the future we all deserve._


	2. Easy Living

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been a week since the destruction of the Institute, and Solo is struggling with the implications of what she has done. Despite the overwhelming gratification for her heroics, she knows she needs to get away.

PRESENT DAY

The lights were startlingly bright as Solo stepped out of her power armor and stumbled slightly, leaning heavily against a table as her dizziness faded away, colored spots dancing around her vision. A few other Brotherhood soldiers and scribes glanced at her, but none were brave enough to come and help. Solo knew her reputation made her more than just an equal - she was an officer, a commander. Still… would it hurt to just give her a hand without her needing to ask?

Sighing, Solo straightened up and raked her hair behind her ears. Her power armor was scratched and blackened from heat damage, but it was still in better shape than she’d expected. She hadn’t fixed it since the battle against the Institute, and she hadn’t entirely wanted to. What was the point?

She’d witnessed the explosion a week ago. It was her hand which had pushed the detonator button, and her anger which had led them to destroying the Institute in the first place. With Shaun inside it. Not to mention the synth Shaun, too.

The dizziness returned, and Solo swayed unsteadily. A gloved hand wrapped around her upper arm, helping her regain her balance, and she found herself looking into Captain Kells’ face. He was as serious as always, the type of man who had spent his life developing lines from frowning rather than smiling. A conventional dyed-in-the-wool soldier, straight from the Brotherhood mold. Solo wondered now if she saw a hint of concern in his nondescript face.

“All good, Paladin?”

“Yes, sir.” Solo forced herself to straighten up again. “Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s no problem. Elder Maxson and I anticipated you would need some time to yourself,” Kells replied shortly. “Be at the Command Deck by ten thirty. You have fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“All right.” Kells released her arm with a nod and walked away, entering the corridor towards the mess hall. Solo pressed her fingers to her face, feeling bruises there despite having been wearing power armor. The force of every blast whilst fighting in the Institute had made her head rattle around inside the helmet, and it had hurt like hell.

She began unbuckling her BOS combat armor as well, setting each piece carefully on the table beside her power armor station. She was lighter than she had ever felt, and the pain was finally returning to her limbs. For a whole week, she had refused to remove the armor, hardly slept, hardly healed. Sure, she could have joined the rest of the soldiers on the vertibird to come back here, but she'd convinced herself she needed some time alone.

Deciding she would do maintenance on her armor later, Solo stretched her body and headed sluggishly down the corridor towards the medical clinic. She could feel a couple of bruised ribs, and her leg had suffered a pretty nasty burn after the armor plate was blown off. As she passed them, several scribes and knights acknowledged her with their fists pressed to their chests - she drowned out their echoing declarations of "Ad Victoriam" and merely nodded in their direction. If anything, her reputation preceded her.

Knight-Captain Cade was sitting behind his desk, drinking coffee, when Solo entered the clinic. He set his mug down immediately and smiled warmly in her direction. “Ah, Paladin Woods. Good to see you again.”

“You too,” Solo replied, wincing as she sat carefully on one of the beds. “Mind sparing me a stimpack?”

“Didn’t think to heal yourself after the battle?” Cade questioned, standing up and heading over to the counter.

“My main focus was getting back here.”

“I see. And yet... not with the others.” He strode over with a stimpack, flicking the needle with his forefinger. “Where’re you hurt, Paladin?”

Solo listed her injuries in a monotone, and then allowed the doctor to help her unzip her BOS suit so he could see her wounds. She no longer felt awkward or uncomfortable about being half-dressed in front of another man. The Brotherhood had removed such concerns. Cade tutted when he saw her wounds, and very quickly cleaned all her open cuts with disinfectant spray before injecting the stimpack into the crease of her forearm. “How’re you feeling otherwise?”

“Fine,” Solo muttered, watching as blood beaded up from the injection site. Cade covered it swiftly with a cotton bud and gestured for her to apply pressure. She did so, sighing as she watched him dispose of the stimpack and wash his hands at the sink. He was one of the kindest members of the Brotherhood, though she still didn't know him well enough to carry on a proper conversation. 

“No triumph in defeating the Institute scum?” Knight-Captain Cade inquired.

“Some triumph, I suppose. Mostly exhaustion.”

The doctor chuckled, allowing her to re-zip the BOS suit as he simultaneously handed her a cup of water. “We are, of course, all very grateful for your infiltration of the Institute,” he said seriously. “Without you, we would never have achieved any of what we did. The Brotherhood is indebted to you, it seems.”

Solo shrugged, taking a sip of water. “I had my own agenda.”

“I’m aware of that.” Cade returned to his desk, picking up his coffee again and taking a sip. “I take it you achieved what _you_ wanted to achieve, as well?”

“Not really.” Solo swallowed down any nausea that came with the comment. “But I did what was right, and that’s what matters.”

“Very noble of you.” Cade smiled warmly. “Well, don’t let me keep you, Paladin. I hear Maxson wants to see you on the Command Deck.”

Solo nodded calmly. “Thanks, Knight-Captain. See you around.”

She left the clinic feeling slightly less dizzy, moving at a faster pace as she descended the ladder to the Prydwen’s lower decks, her boots making the metal clang. Elder Maxson and Captain Kells were already waiting for her by the gigantic floor-to-ceiling windows on the Command Deck. They both stood in similar stances, hands behind their backs, shoulders stiff, backs straight. As soon as Solo announced her entrance, they both turned to her.

“Paladin,” Elder Maxson greeted her. “I’m glad you’ve returned. Captain Kells and I wanted to speak with you.”

“As I expect Elder Maxson has already explained,” Kells began, “the destruction of the Institute is simply the first stage of our operations in the Commonwealth. There are still super mutants and ferals to deal with as well as any remaining synths that escaped the blast.”

Solo forced herself not to think about it, but the image arrived unbidden in her mind anyway: a young boy crawling out of the Institute crater, calling for his mother. A mother who had left him behind because he was a synth. Had she really wanted to? Solo felt she might be asking herself that for the rest of her life. She’d joined the Brotherhood to find her son, but ultimately became one of them and killed him instead. She should be happy to have won, and to have punished the Institute for killing her husband. But there was still the case of her loneliness, and the loss of Shaun.

“It’s our hope that you’ll continue serving with the Brotherhood and assist us with eradicating these threats,” Captain Kells continued.

Solo bit her tongue, and then met the man’s eyes. “Of course, Captain.”

What was the difference between resigning herself to this fate or another? She either continued to work with the Brotherhood until she died or she wandered the Commonwealth alone. Only one of those options gave her a purpose.

“Very good, Paladin,” Kells said.

“In light of your service, Captain Kells and I both feel you deserve unique recognition for your contributions, both past and future,” Maxson rejoined. “It’s with great pleasure and the utmost respect that you are hereby granted the title of Sentinel.”

Solo blinked in surprise, staring at the man. She was being promoted another rank? She hadn’t even thought there was a rank above Paladin, let alone considered whether she deserved it. Or whether she wanted it. Then again, whatever the title, she didn’t see any other option than serving the Brotherhood for the rest of her life. At least she’d be doing some good, clearing the Commonwealth of hostiles.

Maxson clarified, “This is the highest honor a Brotherhood soldier can achieve, but we both felt strongly that it was well deserved.”

Kells gestured to a large metal contraption set on one of the couches. “In addition, we would like to present you with this jetpack modification for your power armor. The Brotherhood has few of these devices in its possession, but we feel you’ve earned the right to utilize one of them.”

Solo nodded slowly, lost for words. She was being patted on the back for ultimately killing her son - it was wrong on so many levels. But what could she do other than accept their gratification?

Captain Kells extended his hand. “Congratulations, Sentinel. It’s an honor to be serving with you.”

Solo shook his hand firmly, and then did the same with Elder Maxson. She felt cold, robotic – almost like a synth herself. She was just going through the motions, even though her insides felt like mush.

_I don’t hate synths_ , she wanted to say. But even that was something she wasn’t sure of. She liked Nick Valentine, for sure – trusted him more than most people she had met in the Commonwealth. He was a good friend, and he had accompanied her throughout much of her journey towards finding Shaun. But if she didn’t hate synths, she wouldn’t have destroyed the Railroad, a faction whose goal was to save and protect them. She certainly wouldn’t have left the synth version of her son behind to be blown up in the Institute.

But would she have received this title if she had brought him along? Surely Maxson would not appreciate having a synth child on his ship – nonetheless the child of one of his Paladins. Being part of the Brotherhood had made her decision sinfully easy.

“Thank you both,” Solo said quietly, faking enthusiasm. “I’m really quite honored.”

“The honor is ours,” Elder Maxson responded. “Sentinel… for the first time since we met, I have no orders for you. From this moment forward, you will decide which missions you take and how you will guide us.”

Solo blinked, even more surprised. So she wouldn’t be given a purpose? 

“Captain Kells and the personnel at Cambridge Police Station still possess numerous operations for you to undertake,” Maxson added. “Where you go from here is up to you.”

Solo’s lungs felt shallow and empty – she was breathing air that wasn’t hers. She was living in a world that should have nothing to do with her. She’d killed her son and his gift for these people, and they couldn’t even provide her with the purpose and meaning she desperately needed. What was even the point anymore? Every decision she made seemed to lead her down the same aimless, empty path. 

“Ad Victoriam, Sentinel,” Elder Maxson said, pressing his fist to his chest. Captain Kells echoed his words.

_To victory._

 ---

Solo collapsed onto her bed, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling. Her eyes burned and her throat ached from the need to cry, but she refused it for as long as she could.

_You’re not Shaun. You’re a robot, made to think you’re real. You’re… not my son._

_Please don’t leave me here! I don’t wanna die! Please… just think about it for a second – I promise I won’t get in your way, and I-I can take care of myself!_

Solo pressed a hand firmly to her face as the tears began leaking from beneath her eyelids, streaming down her cheeks. Her chest and shoulders shook, wracked with silent sobs that seemed to tear her to pieces on the inside. She hadn’t cried ever – not since her husband died. She hadn’t given herself time to shed tears, because she’d had to find Shaun.

But now it was all gone. All the ties she had to her past. Vanished. Dead.

Those walls that held her up, that contained her... they all began to collapse. Solo could almost feel them fall with each tear, the salty drops clinging to her chin, soaking her through. Perhaps these tears would help her wash the blood off her hands. A sob possessed her, escaping her lungs in a loud and ugly noise, and she pressed her head hard back against the pillow. Baby Shaun... so innocent. She was anything but innocent.

The Brotherhood believed that synths were a manifestation of technology run amuck, and Solo had begun to agree with them. She’d almost begun to believe that anything too advanced, anything too scary, needed to be destroyed. Seeing the face of her son and knowing he was a synth had terrified her because she’d had no idea what to do. Her real son, as a dying old man – a man who had ruled the Institute like a tyrant, making taciturn decisions to kill and to manipulate the people of the Commonwealth – had given them both one last chance to see what was lost. He had missed a mother and a father his whole life, and she had missed a son. It was a surprisingly sentimental act.

And yet, she could never have truly saved Shaun. He was beyond rescue long ago, while she was still stuck in cryogenic stasis in Vault 111. The moment he was taken from Nate’s arms, she had lost him entirely. But she could have retained the essence of him in that child synth. She could have let the child live.

Solo had always dreamed of Shaun growing up. She’d thought about his first words, learning to walk, playing catch with his dad. First Christmas, first birthday party, first visit to the zoo. His fears from his first day of school, his first broken bone, his first friends, his first lost tooth, his first detention, his first girlfriend, his first baseball game –

But all she had managed to witness during her time with Shaun was the lasts. She had heard her son’s last words, and she had outlived him, and that was the most painful thing of all. How could she be so cold, so cruel, as to let something like that happen? What kind of mother was she?

_Who the hell am I?_

Solo sat up all of a sudden, the mattress creaking under her, and ran her arm across her cheeks to mop up the wetness there. She had agreed she would continue to serve the Brotherhood, but she also knew she couldn’t do it. She couldn't stay here and pretend to be a hero, a winner.

Solo jumped to her feet, reached under her bed, and came out with a large rucksack, streaked with dust. She hadn’t used it since before she joined the Brotherhood, and it brought back memories of her first weeks in the Commonwealth. She’d been very different back then, in some ways scared to even pull the trigger. The Brotherhood had seasoned her into a soldier.

Solo began grabbing clothes at random out of her footlocker and tossing them on her bed, suddenly stricken with the need to get out. She was a Sentinel now – what could they do? As usual, she had her own agenda.

Solo packed as much as she could into the bag, including snacks and ammunition. She grabbed Nate’s wedding ring out of the drawer and slipped it safely in between some t-shirts, shoved his last holotape in the rucksack’s front pocket, took a glance at the one picture she had from before the war – a worn photo depicting she and Nate with their arms around each other, standing beside Shaun’s cot. She’d found it in a trash can in her house in Sanctuary, the one thing that hadn’t been looted by scavengers. Ironically, it had been the most valuable thing in there. To her, anyway.

Once she was packed, Solo gave the room a once over. She didn’t know how long it would be until she returned, but she hoped it would be a while. It was funny how she had joined the Brotherhood just so she didn’t have to wander the Commonwealth alone… and yet now she was surrendering herself to it anyway. She didn't expect to miss the Prydwen and it's inhabitants at all. 

There was one person Solo wanted to see and one place she wanted to visit before she became a ghost for good. And that was Nick Valentine in Diamond City.


	3. Home Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solo returns to Diamond City to see her old friend Nick Valentine.

Solo fastened the Gatling laser to her back along with her rucksack as she peered over the edge of the roof. It was an incredibly heavy gun; however, she’d been convinced she’d need the firepower when she left the Prydwen, and valued the weapon too much to leave it behind.

The Brotherhood of Steel always ensured that all soldiers knew exactly how each weapon worked and what it entailed. During training, Solo had learned that the Gatling laser was a two-handed weapon that made use of fusion cores for ammunition. Each fusion core provided 500 shots, and she was definitely better off making them count, especially since the weapon had such low accuracy – it was more useful for large numbers of close-by enemies. Then again, it was still the most powerful weapon she’d ever had in her arsenal.

She also had a small AER9 laser pistol with her, tucked into a holster at her hip. It was a Brotherhood military model that employed a photonic focusing chamber and crystal array, which created a tighter, more destructive beam – much more powerful than the normal civilian model she’d seen Gunners using. She’d had this particular sidearm on her since she joined the Brotherhood, and had always counted on it to keep her out of danger. Her supply of fusion cells was also unbeatable – over a thousand, kept packed tightly in a military ammo bag. Another lesson the Brotherhood taught their soldiers was to never enter the Commonwealth unprepared; always have more ammunition than needed.

Finally, Solo had two stealth-blade combat knives hidden in each of her boots. Proctor Teagan, the Brotherhood’s quartermaster and weaponry expert, had designed the knives especially for her, so the grips fit the shape of her palms and had weighted hilts for throwing. She was a killing machine, and she knew exactly how to use every weapon she owned. Three months had been enough to turn her into a military connoisseur.

Solo was crouched over a back alley in the Fens area of Boston, gazing down into a miniature raider settlement. For half an hour, she’d been up on this roof watching them go about their daily business. She knew there were exactly five raiders in this back alley, and they had only basic defenses – guard towers and the guns in their holsters. She also knew that the rooftops around them were their biggest weakness, since they hadn’t noticed her at all.

All she needed to do was collect more meds and bottlecaps before she reached Diamond City, which at this point was only four streets over. The Brotherhood had never paid her, and none of the soldiers ever had much need for money, as everything had been provided for them. Now, she was struggling just to buy simple supplies from traders.

Very slowly, Solo reached into her left boot and withdrew one of her combat knives, examining the polished blade in the late morning sunlight. It fogged up a little as her breath touched it, reacting with the chill in the air, and she smiled to herself. _Ad Victoriam_.

Solo flipped herself over the edge of the roof, knife clenched tightly between her teeth as she gripped the cold bricks with both hands. The strain on her muscles was about two times greater than she was used to due to the heavy weaponry on her back, but she simply pushed her stomach against the wall and forced her feet to move for purchase on a lip of concrete below. She let her hands relax, glancing below fleetingly. Still, no one had noticed her.

Stupid raiders.

She inched her way to the left, and then let her fingers find holds in the tiny crevices and imperfections in the wall. Her feet followed suit, abdominal muscles clenching. The process continued, her muscles burning, until she was almost directly over one of the guard posts, a clear nine feet from the ground. She was hanging there, bright as day, and yet the raider right below her seemed more focused on his cigarette than his impending doom.

Solo braced her legs against the wall, withdrew one of her arms to grab the combat knife from between her teeth, and then pushed off.

The weight of her body sent the raider crashing to the floor with a loud _thud!_ Before he could even release a noise of surprise, her knife speared through his throat. Solo withdrew it as she heard his wheeze of agony and a gurgle of blood, eyes rolling into the back of his head. She wiped the blood off on his clothes, grimacing, and climbed off his body.

One down, four to go.

“Hey!”

Solo threw herself off the guard post and behind the wall of one of the wooden shacks as one of the raiders began to open fire. The bullets rattled through the wood, and she quickly un-holstered her laser pistol as the raider stopped to reload. Rapidly and skillfully, she ducked around the corner and fired off two consecutive shots, one missing him by a hair and the other plunging directly into his chest. He gasped, staggering, and she shot him once more to ensure he was down.

And then, as her training taught her, she began running again, knowing she had a better chance of not being hit as a moving target.

She threw herself up the stairs into a shack furnished with sleeping bags, tackling a very surprised woman and knocking the pipe pistol out of her hands. It clattered away, the woman shouting for backup, and Solo captured her wrists to restrain her. The string of screams and curse words was silenced as the combat knife was slashed brutally across her throat, sending her blood splattering in all directions. Solo again wiped off the blade on her victim’s clothes, feeling slightly nauseous. Killing never did get easier, even though she knew very well that the Commonwealth motto was ‘ _kill or be killed’_. She picked up her laser pistol, ducking behind a small table as a volley of bullets tore into the shack, barely missing her.

Two to go.

Solo discharged the near-empty laser cells in her pistol and replaced them, flinching as bullets whistled and rattled past her. And then she rose to the window, crouched with her forearms resting on the sill, and fired off a well-controlled pump of shots at the raider down below. One shot hit her left arm, and two others struck her stomach. Solo ducked back behind cover, hearing cries of anger from the final raider. If he was smart, he would run now.

She knew he wouldn’t.

Solo tucked her laser pistol back in its holster, blowing a few strands of hair out of her face. The combat knife twirled between her fingers as she strained to listen for the final man. Up on the roof, she’d seen him hanging around the workbench; surely, he was still there.

With a sudden burst of energy, Solo sprinted for the doorway of the shack and jumped clear down the steps, hearing a bullet whistle right past her ear. She ran until she could press herself hard against another wall, adrenaline coursing through her blood. The raider cursed loudly, moving closer as he reloaded his hunting rifle, and Solo tightened her grip on the combat knife.

In a split second, she threw herself at him before he could raise the rifle, knife jutting out in front of her as she went for his feet. The blade sliced through his thigh and he yelled in pain, crumpling to the ground with Solo on top of him. His rifle let off a few wild shots, but she quickly disarmed him and used the barrel to smash his face in. She had to hit him twice before he stopped moving, nose and mouth oozing with blood, arms going limp. Solo grimaced, slipping her knife back into her boot as she straightened up. After a quick check of all her limbs, she was satisfied to find she had sustained no wounds. Success.

Brushing dirt off her hands, Solo searched the raider’s pockets, finding only three bottlecaps and a half-finished pack of cigarettes. She moved on to loot the other bodies too, frustrated to find so few caps on them. In the workbench, she found a couple stimpacks and gold-plated lighters which she knew she could sell for a hefty enough price in the Diamond City market, which lightened her mood a little. At least she’d have enough to rent a room in Dugout Inn. 

Solo gave the area a once over before she stuffed her bag with all the loot and left it as it was.

As she walked, Solo popped her last stick of bubblegum in her mouth and checked her Pip-Boy. It was eleven thirty in the morning, so she was arriving at a good time if she wanted to run some errands before seeing Valentine. He had no idea she was coming, of course, but she wanted to make sure he’d be in his office when she got there.

 

Diamond City was as grand as Solo remembered, the emerald green almost seeming to blend in with the clear Commonwealth sky. The Diamond City guards patrolling outside nodded greetings at her but showed no signs of recognizing who she was. She passed through the turnstiles without obstruction, waving to Danny Sullivan before she ascended the steps into Diamond City. He waved back, but only briefly – he didn’t recognize her, either.

Diamond City was typically busy, the metal rooftops glittering, people rushing about in the square. A few crows were perched on electricity lines, filling the air with the coarse sound of their cries, though they were mostly drowned out by the numerous voices and sounds of metal on metal. From what Solo could remember from her limited time here, the market was normally pretty busy at this time of day – most of the commoners would be buying lunch or heading home for a break. Some of them would be out for a walk in the sunshine. For the first time in a long time, Solo breathed in and felt… normal.

She almost felt like she was home.

Her spirits were up as she strolled down the steps into the market, a smile tugging at the edges of her mouth as she glanced around. The mixed scents of mire and spices lingered in the air, and she could definitely smell generator smoke, too. Most of the fluorescent signs were lit even in the middle of the day, advertising chems, makeshift department stores and the best weaponry and armor in the Commonwealth.

“Hey, lady!”

Solo turned in alarm, relaxing when she saw the small girl standing in front of the familiar Publick Occurrences office, waving a paper at her. She was wearing a winter coat despite the sunshine, motheaten and ragged, a pair of old flight goggles hung around her neck. Her face was very familiar, and so was the sharply curious expression.

“Yeah?” Solo said.

“You need this paper,” the girl insisted. “Everything on the Institute the public needs to know.”

“The Institute, huh?”

“You haven’t heard?” The girl leaned in, as if to conspire with her. “The Institute was blown to pieces by the Brotherhood of Steel – apparently all the synths are gone.” She held out the rolled-up newspaper. “It’s all in the paper! Better read up.”

Solo took the newspaper, but only because she was in a good mood. The title – _Boogeyman Banished?_ – made her smile, simply because it was so dramatic. This might be the first newspaper written by Piper Wright that hadn’t turned the city crazy. She wondered fleetingly about the reporter, realizing she hadn’t seen the woman since three months earlier. Hopefully she hadn’t been murdered by Mayor McDonough or exiled to the wasteland. Not that Solo would be surprised.

“Thanks,” she said to Piper’s little sister – _Nat_ , she remembered. “I’ll read it later.”

“Hey… do I know you?” the girl asked curiously. Her fierce advertising look was gone, but her eyes were still sharp as they regarded her.

“I don’t know.” Solo shrugged evasively. “I’ll see you around, kid.”

Before Nat could protest, she turned and continued further into the market, sensing plenty of eyes on her as she passed clinic and the butchers, heading for Dugout Inn. Not the best place to lay low, but… she needed a place to stay.

As soon as she entered, she could hear the familiar voices of the Russian brothers who owned the place – Yefim calm and irritated as usual, while Vadim was loud and rambunctious.

“Vadim… I need to talk-”

“Just a minute, Yefim. I am in middle of story.” Vadim gestured widely and dramatically with his hands to his audience of drunkards. “So, I am crossing river, right? Wearing nothing but a smile, when out comes most dangerous of sea monsters. A _mirelurk_ …”

Vadim suddenly caught sight of Solo entering the bar and stopped in his tracks, a thousand-megawatt grin growing on his face. He waved his hand frantically at her. “Lady, what happened to you? You look different, huh?”

Solo approached the bar with a budding smile, sensing people moving out of her way so she could draw near him. The heavy-set Russian man set his hands on the bar and looked her up and down. “How long has it been? A year? Or longer – how your hair become so white?”

“Three months,” Solo corrected, knowing the man was likely drunk. She touched her hair a little self-consciously, recalling when she dyed it a couple months ago. The strands had been turned from a dark brown to a bleached white, and she’d found she greatly preferred how it looked now.

Vadim chuckled. “We been hearing about you on radio, my friend. Every day. You leave and become a hero, eh?”

“I guess so.”

“Wait, you’re that soldier on the radio?” a man slurred, glancing up from his beer. His eyes were bloodshot, but they sharpened as they scrutinized her. “The one who worked with the Brotherhood? Took down the Institute?”

“Man, you crazy?” Vadim demanded. “This is Solo Woods, savior of the world!”

The man’s eyes widened, and he offered out his hand clumsily. “My God, I never thought-”

Solo shook his hand, protesting, “It’s not a big deal…”

“Also, very humble,” Vadim pointed out, cutting her off. “Greatest of all great heroes!”

“Vadim!” the second brother snapped.

Vadim glanced over at him and sighed. “Oh. I forgot you were there, Yefim. What is it?”

“You know what? Never mind. I’ll handle it myself.” Yefim sniffed, and then allowed Solo a gracious smile. “Good to see you back. We are all thankful for you.”

“Thanks,” Solo replied, not sure what else to say.

“So? You want drink? I get you one on the house!” Vadim offered enthusiastically.

Solo shook her head. “Maybe later, Vadim. I’m actually here to rent a room.”

Yefim raised his eyebrows. “Good to hear you might stay a while, my friend. It’s ten caps for room, pay in advance.”

Glad for the looting done that morning, Solo unslung her bag and counted out exactly ten caps before handing them to him. He nodded, tucking them into his pocket. “You’re in room 2. Just through the door.”

“Thanks.” Solo nodded to both him and Vadim and then left the bar in search of her room.

 ---

It was as sparse and bare as Solo had expected, the walls empty and the only furniture a bed, a dresser and a desk. She set her bag down on top of the dresser and then sat on the bed to remove her BOS armor and uniform, knowing she’d rather blend in than stand out. She knew now that her hair didn’t exactly help, but there wasn’t much she could do to change that.

After checking her body again for wounds, Solo redressed into a flannel shirt and a pair of worn jeans, both smelling like fresh laundry. She unpacked as much as she could, placing the rest of her clothes in drawers, and then sat on her bed to stare at the photo of her and Nate.

They both looked happy. The sort of happy that came with knowing you were going to start a family with the person you loved. She’d been six months pregnant when this photo was taken.

Sighing, Solo placed the photo carefully under the pillow and stood to fetch the rest of her bottlecaps and the two gold-plated flip lighters from her bag. Time for some shopping before she visited Valentine.

 ---

In the end, the lighters only yielded about twenty caps each, but Solo was glad for the money anyway. Crazy Myrna didn’t recognize her, but Arturo the weapon’s vendor did – he even offered her free ammunition for her ‘service to the Commonwealth’. Doctor Sun, upon greeting her, commented on how Diamond City had been doing since the fall of the Institute. It seemed most people had forgotten about work and were too busy celebrating. He, quite obviously, thought this was stupid, as he’d had to treat several of them for alcohol poisoning.

Solo ended her shopping spree by purchasing a bowl of noodles from Takahashi, lining her stomach as the sun began to drop in the sky. Feeling wholly satisfied, she left the market and headed for Valentine’s Detective Agency, strolling through the dark and dripping alley. Most of the settlers left her alone, but one or two turned their heads to gawk at her as she passed.

She knocked on the agency’s door before she entered, drawing it shut behind her and finding two very surprised faces staring back at her. Ellie was the first to recover, jumping up from behind her desk and coming over to deliver a quick – albeit overwhelming – hug.

“I was wondering when we’d see you again,” she said, looking her over. “How’re you doing?”

Solo was dazed, not quite sure how to answer. Valentine finally recovered too, smiling fondly at her. “If it isn’t the savior of the Commonwealth.”

“I felt like coming to see you,” Solo said. “To… thank you, mostly. You helped me a lot, Nick.”

Nick suddenly got up from his desk, eyes wide. “Shaun – is he…”

Very slowly, Solo shook her head. The detective’s yellow eyes flickered as he took this in, but he didn’t question her further. He’d known, of course, that her son was actually an old man. But he didn’t have to know she’d killed him.

Ellie rushed to the corner of the room and began pouring glasses of bourbon, humming to herself. Nick tucked his hands in his pockets and regarded Solo carefully. “You holdin’ up, at least?”

“I wasn’t, if I’m being honest,” Solo said. “I’ve got my regrets. I… just needed to get away from the Brotherhood.”

“Understandable,” Valentine responded. He nodded towards the chair in front of Ellie’s desk, and Solo took his offer gratefully. She had an odd sense of nostalgia as he sat down across from her, steepling his fingers. After she’d rescued him from those gangsters, she’d sat across from him like this and told him everything about what happened to her husband and Shaun. And he’d promised to help her. It had been one of those first signs of kindness in the Commonwealth.

“It took a lotta guts to do what you did,” Nick said softly. “I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

Solo met his eyes quickly, astonished. Had he figured it out? Did he know what she’d done? He was a detective, after all – surely he could read people pretty well.

“You’d be surprised,” Solo said bitterly. “It was as easy as pushing a button.”

The synth smiled faintly. “Well, aren’t we lucky you showed up to do the deed? It’s hard to even wrap your head around – a world without the Institute lurking in the shadows. And yet… you’ve made it a reality.”

“Valentine, I-”

“This life that the Commonwealth folk get to lead now is all thanks to you,” he continued firmly. “Remember that, will ya?”

Solo nodded, lowering her chin as Ellie came to the desk with the glasses and set them down. She took her own glass and did a cheers with them, even though her heart wasn’t in it. She’d thought that coming to see Valentine would make her feel better, but while she was glad to see him, she still felt empty inside.

“How’re _you_ doing with all of this?” she asked finally.

Valentine sighed, scratching his face with one mechanical hand. “Well, there’re a lotta questions I was hoping the Institute could answer, but I’ve already made it this far without ‘em. I think I’ll manage.”

She smiled. “That’s good to hear.”

“Actually… I’ve been pretty laden down with jobs, lately. Lotta people finally pulled their heads out of the sand and want to track down those they’ve lost.” He took a sip of his bourbon. “A few too many jobs to deal with, if I’m honest.”

Ellie nodded to affirm this. “Either crime’s increased, or people really aren’t scared anymore.”

“Any interesting cases?” Solo asked curiously.

“Actually…” Valentine glanced around the office, searching for something. “Hey, Ellie, what did we have on the Nakano family?”

Ellie jumped up and ducked over to the filing cabinets at the back, finally coming up with a relatively empty file. “Uh... yeah, seemed really urgent. Client’s a fisherman who lives on the edge of the Commonwealth, Kenji Nakano. He didn’t leave many details, said he’d go over everything when you meet him. But if you want my guess, it’s a missing person’s case.”

Solo frowned. “Missing… now? As in recently? _After_ the Institute was destroyed?”

Nick nodded slowly and reached for a pack of cigarettes, lighting one and bringing it to his mouth. As he exhaled a cloud of smoke, he said, “It’s definitely a curious one. We don’t have many details yet – I’d have to get down there to talk to ‘em. But I won’t be able to do that for a few weeks.”

“You can’t let them worry for weeks!” Solo protested, suddenly leaning forward. “Valentine-”

“You should go.”

“W…what?” She paused, shocked.

Even Ellie seemed confused, glancing back and forth between them. Valentine calmly tapped his cigarette against the ashtray.

“I said, you should go. I don’t have the time, you want time away from the Brotherhood… I’d say it suits you.”

Solo stared at him, the wheels turning in her brain. Her, take one of his cases? Put on the detective hat? It seemed like a crazy idea, and yet… also a decent one.

“Anything you can tell me about Mr. Nakano?” Solo asked carefully.

Ellie beamed. “Atta girl! Well, he sounded pretty worried. I think I heard something about a daughter and a radio, but I could’ve misheard him. I think he’s a friend of Nick’s.”

“Yeah, I did a case for him a few years back,” Nick confirmed. “He had a ghoul problem.”

“So… you really want me to go over there and take this case?” Solo asked him hesitantly.

“If you’re up for it.” Valentine finally stubbed his cigarette out. “You’re good at helping people.”

“I… I don’t know…”

“If you do go, just let Ellie know before you leave,” Valentine said, waving a hand. “I’ll be out of Diamond City for the next few days on a couple o’ cases. But please promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“If you go, take somebody with you. I don’t want you tryin’ to solve a case alone – a lot of them are dangerous, and you’re not made from nuts and bolts like me.”

“I’ve been fine on my own so far,” Solo retorted. “Brotherhood-trained, remember? I just cleared out a settlement on my way over here, in fact.”

Valentine shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn ya. Just… keep it in mind and try not to get into trouble.”

“Sure.” Solo finished the last of her bourbon and set the glass down. “Say… would either of you mind joining me for a drink tonight at Dugout Inn? Vadim thinks there’s cause to celebrate.”

“There’s always cause to celebrate with him,” Valentine remarked, chuckling. “But sure. Been a while since I’ve loosened my tie.”


	4. Reformation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper and Solo reunite.

It turned out Vadim had invited just about everyone in Diamond City to Dugout Inn for the celebrations. By now, everyone had heard the news that the great hero who destroyed the Institute was in their midst – Solo almost had to fight them off once she arrived at the Inn with Valentine and Ellie.

They secured a table in the corner and ordered some of Bobrov’s best, Valentine very firmly refusing Vadim’s offer for him to test a new brand. As a synth, he was the perfect guinea pig for most of the man’s test trials, and was growing tired of the side effects.

They tried to keep their party small, but eventually were joined by people who were familiar to Solo – Arturo, who wanted to hear about the battle itself; John, the hairdresser, who wanted to know what she’d done with her hair; a couple of Diamond City security guards who were off work and wanted to hear her story. Solo, growing more and more intoxicated, began telling them as much as she could, all her inhibitions melting away.

Vadim eventually joined them as well, delivering them free shots and beers as the story went on, often trying to cut in with his own ‘heroic’ tales. Solo hadn’t laughed or talked this much in a while, and she was sad to see Valentine go after he and Ellie retired to the office. Still, she accepted drinks from the rest of the Diamond City residents and continued to repeat the story of the Institute’s destruction to her heart’s content, growing numb to it the more she told it.

Eventually, as midnight passed, her friends left to go home and she found herself at the bar talking only to Vadim. She was drunk enough that she found herself actually laughing at his terrible jokes, chugging back beer after beer. It was a shame, really, that she’d grown such an immunity to alcohol – being incapacitated right now seemed blissful.

It was about two in the morning, when Vadim was busy cleaning up the bar and Solo was nursing a beer all by herself, that she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned sluggishly, seeing double of the woman before her.

“Heard you were back,” Piper grinned. Solo blinked and then managed a wavering smile in return.

“I’m on vacation,” she murmured. She took another sip of her beer. “How’s Diamond City’s favorite reporter doing?”

“Pretty great, actually.” Piper took a seat at a stool next to her and captured Vadim’s eye across the bar. “Hey… what’s the thing here least likely to make me blind?”

“Piper!” Vadim exclaimed happily. “You have finally come to publish Vadim’s latest tale of heroism, yes?” He frowned. “H-heroism. That’s it. _Heroism_. I don’t say this word too often…”

Piper sighed, seeming to struggle to not roll her eyes. “What’d you do this time, Vadim?”

Vadim tossed his cleaning rag down, eyes lighting up. “You will not believe! So, I awoke after a night of fun to find myself wearing a coating of robot coolant… and nothing else…”

Groaning, Piper pressed a hand to her forehead. “Vadim, please. Stop. Now. Can… can I just have a beer?”

Solo chuckled into her drink as Vadim cheerfully offered her what she wanted, whistling to himself as he continued cleaning the bar. Piper turned to Solo. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.”

Piper sipped her own beer and took off her press cap, placing it on the bar beside her. “So… I can’t really believe it.”

“Believe what?”

“The Institute – they’re _gone_. Do you even know what that means?”

Solo shrugged. “Cambridge has one hell of a new pothole?”

Piper laughed a little. “I-I suppose it does. But more than that… it means no more kidnappings, no more sleepless nights, terrified of your neighbors plotting against you! No more _fear_. Thanks to you, we don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

To her exasperation, Solo found her cheeks warming in a blush. “You know, except of Deathclaws. And mutants. Ferals. Ambitious mole rats…”

“Okay, maybe a couple things to be afraid of,” Piper agreed. “But you took care of the big one. Welcome to the new Commonwealth.”

She raised her beer bottle, and Solo clinked it with her own, taking an especially large swig. The alcohol was already beginning to wear off, and her negativity was beginning to set in.

“So…” Piper cleared her throat pointedly. “I was meaning to ask if you minded doing another interview. About the Institute, this time-”

“You’ve already printed a paper about it,” Solo interrupted her, sounding a little colder than she’d meant to.

Piper looked taken aback. “Well, yeah. But it’d be great to get your perspective on it, considering you’re the hero and all-”

“No.”

Piper blinked, and Solo could see a little irritation building her eyes. “No?”

“You heard me.” Solo looked away from her and took another gulp of beer. Vadim very pointedly left the bar to go and clear a table, looking as if he’d swallowed a bottle of battery acid.

Piper was silent for a long moment. And then she inquired, “Why not?”

“You know, you wonder why people around here dislike you, but it should be pretty obvious,” Solo muttered, unable to stop herself. “The questions are _annoying,_ Piper. Not everyone wants you aggressively trying to force yourself on them.”

The other woman’s eyes had narrowed, her jaw set. “Think that’s the first time somebody’s told me that?”

“Then take the advice and _stop_.”

Piper turned away, face reddening from anger, and slapped a handful of caps on the counter. “Thanks for the drink, Vadim,” she snapped.

“Leaving so soon?” Vadim inquired, looking between them.

Piper stood, placing her press cap back on her head with a flourish. “Not that this hasn’t been scintillating, but I think it’s time I go.”

Solo winced. “Piper-”

“No,” she muttered, “It’s my mistake. Meeting you is something I’m suddenly beginning to regret.”

Solo set her beer down and abruptly grasped Piper’s wrist before she could turn and walk away. The woman stopped, surprised when she couldn’t even yank her hand back. She stared at Solo, evidently waiting for some sort of explanation.

“I’m sorry. I’m drunk, and I took that a little too far.”

“You think?” Piper retorted scathingly.

Solo released her, feeling all of a sudden like the alcohol was drowning her rather than uplifting her. She rested her chin on her hand, staring down at the rim of her bottle. “Shaun, my son… he’s dead.”

Piper’s eyes widened, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. And then she abruptly sat down again, facing Solo.

“Blue… I’m so sorry.”

The sudden switch to sympathy was too quick for Solo to follow. She simply nodded.

She felt Piper’s hand land on her arm, but all she could think about was Shaun’s terrified face before she left him behind in the Institute. And, before that, Father’s last words.

Out of the blue, she felt the words flowing out of her – all the fears and misery she felt now after the Institute was gone. All the uncertainties she had about the Brotherhood and who she had become.

Piper just sat there and listened, astoundingly quiet for once, hand resting reassuringly on her arm. She nodded at all the right parts, growing more and more sympathetic, and by the time Solo had finished talking, she almost looked in pain herself.

“Blue…”

Solo shook her head, swallowing hard to dislodge the lump in her throat. She had a feeling this would all end up in a newspaper story tomorrow, and everyone would know what she’d done.

“Just leave it,” she said faintly. “I guess… I’m a little lost.”

Piper nodded slowly, as if she understood every word.

Solo added, “I’d like it if not everyone in Diamond City knew about this…”

“Blue, I’d _never_ … of course not!” Piper exclaimed hurriedly, eyes expressing her surprise. “I’m-I’m glad you could confide in me. Even if it’s only because you’re drunk. That’s… God, I’m so sorry about your son.”

“Me too,” Solo said. She wrapped her fingers tighter around her beer bottle, wondering how much force it would take to shatter it. All she felt now was helplessness – again, there was a sense that she had no direction to take, nowhere to go. “I don’t belong in the Commonwealth, Piper. I don’t belong anywhere. What the hell am I meant to do now?”

Piper withdrew her hand from her arm, glancing furtively at Solo’s moping face. “Well… I guess you’ve gotta go find somewhere you _do_ belong.”

“Wow, thanks,” Solo muttered sarcastically. “I’d figured that much.”

Piper sighed wearily. “Just trying to help.”

Solo chewed on her lip, listening frivolously to the jukebox in the corner and Vadim’s piercing whistle as he wiped down the bar’s tables. The alcohol still had her dazed, but she felt her head clearing up now – perhaps confiding in Piper had been a good idea, after all.  

“I might follow a case,” she said suddenly.

“As in… one of Valentine’s cases?” Piper inquired curiously.

“Some missing person’s case at the edge of the Commonwealth. I think a fisherman’s daughter has gone missing – recently, too. And…” She shrugged. “I thought it sounded a little like the Institute’s handiwork.”

Piper was suddenly alert, her eyes brightening. “The Institute? But… how’s that possible?”

“Hopefully I’ll find out.” Solo shrugged. “I have a feeling Valentine wants me to take my mind off things, look for a new purpose now that Shaun’s gone.”

The dark-haired woman nodded nonchalantly, though her expression betrayed her interest. “What if the Institute’s still around, Blue? Maybe they had more than one headquarters…”

“I was with the Institute for a while,” Solo said thoughtfully. “Never heard anything about another headquarters. As far as I know, all of it went down with the blast in Cambridge.”

“Hmm.” Piper’s hand hovered near the pocket of her trench coat, but she quickly restrained herself. She laughed a little awkwardly. “This would make for a pretty good story, you know.”

Solo raised an eyebrow, regarding the other woman. “What, don’t tell me you’re out of news stories now that the Institute’s gone?”

“I might as well be,” Piper muttered, scowling. “And I’m not getting an interview from you, am I? Maybe this case could help me out, too.”

“Valentine did say he didn’t want me doing it alone.”

“Huh?” Piper perked up at that, sitting forward on her stool. “So… would you mind me tagging along, then?”

Solo gazed at her, wondering if she was actually crazy enough to consider the idea. She’d never really liked Piper that much – there was something disarming about her nosiness; something discomforting. But the woman had proven she wasn’t so bad. She’d listened to Solo’s neuroses, after all, and seemed to know what she was doing. How else would someone as unpopular as her survive in the Commonwealth?

“Sure,” Solo said simply, at a loss for better words.

Piper grinned. “Thanks, Blue. You won’t regret it, I promise. Just swing by my office tomorrow morning and give me the details.”

“I will.”

 ---

It was too early to be up, but Piper had grown used to the inconvenience. It often gave her more time to work before Nat woke up and she had to rush her off to school. She’d sit at her desk with coffee, typing away on her terminal for hours until the sun began shining through cracks in the ceiling and under the door. And then, at eight precisely, Nat would come bounding up the stairs complaining of hunger or the million other things she had to worry about. Her inspiration would fade, and she’d head downstairs to cook.

Today, however, Piper felt restless and impatient. It was six in the morning, and she didn’t exactly have that much work to do. Instead, she was sitting on the couch waiting for Solo Woods to arrive. Not that she really expected the other woman to be awake this early – she’d been so drunk last night that Piper had to get the Bobrov brothers to help her into bed. Surely, she’d be passed out until about midday.

Piper had tried smoking a cigarette to relieve some of the tension, but all she could really think about was her conversation with Solo the night before. She was guilty about it, but she really was itching to write about what the other woman had told her. It was a story that would leave no eyes dry: a mother desperately searching the wasteland for her kidnapped son, only to find that he had become her enemy.

Piper couldn’t even imagine the agony of making such a decision. If she had been frozen in a vault and had Nat taken from her, would she have followed the same path as Solo did? Would she have been strong enough to make the same choices and live with them? Piper knew she was all talk and no game. She had escaped dangerous situations with just her charisma alone, and yet… when it came to the things that most mattered to her, she never seemed to succeed. Her father had died before she’d caught on and been able to help him – she’d had to settle for justice instead. She’d had friends die, too, before she even had the opportunity to uncover the truth.

Nat was all she had left, and she was worried… she was worried she might lose her end up like Solo. All alone.

“Pipes?” came Nat’s sleepy voice from her bed.

“Why’re you up?” Piper sighed, glancing over. “Did I wake you?”

Nat sat up, staring over blearily. “You’re just sitting there. Is something wrong?”

“Just a little restless,” Piper replied honestly.

Nat’s shadow was visible through the gaps in the stairs. “Why?”

“You’d be okay if I left for a few weeks, right?”

Nat’s choke of denial made Piper feel horribly guilty. She knew she left her little sister alone way too much, but it was the only way she could think of to put some distance between them.

“Where’re you gonna go?” Nat asked quietly. “Please don’t get into trouble again…”

Piper tried to explain, “There’s this case. A missing person at the edge of the Commonwealth-”

“Doesn’t Valentine do those?”

“Not this one, apparently,” Piper said. “A… friend invited me to go along.”

“And if it’s nothing?”

Piper stood up from the couch and walked over to Nat’s makeshift bedroom beneath the stairs, leaning against the wall and looking down at her defiant little face. “Then I’ll come right back. I promise.”

Nat’s eyes flashed, and she looked away, pouting.

“Oh, come on,” Piper cajoled, trying to cheer her up. “You know me, Nat. I’m always in trouble, but I always get out of it.”

Still the girl said nothing, hunching with her knees tucked to her chest as she faced the wall. She looked so vulnerable and small, and Piper just wanted to hold her and say she was sorry.

“This friend of mine is coming by this morning,” Piper added. “When you meet her, you can tell me what you think.”

“Pipes,” Nat muttered crossly. “You have no friends.”

Piper frowned. “Great. Thanks, sis.”

She straightened up and returned to the couch, plucking her lit cigarette out of the ashtray and returning it between her lips. She was twenty-six, and she still had no idea how to be a good mother. Sometimes she felt like it was all just going downhill and Nat would end up like her. But she’d never once complained about the responsibilities she’d taken on – Nat was a godsend, a sweet girl with fire in her heart. Piper didn’t regret the things they had achieved together, and couldn’t help but feel pride in the fact that her little sister was so much like her.

Piper smoked the cigarette down to her fingers before stubbing it out, watching the orange glow fade to ashes, and then climbed to her feet. As she shoved on her boots and grabbed her coat, Nat called, “Where’re you going now?”

“I’m getting breakfast. You… sort yourself out.”

There was a humph of annoyance, but Nat didn’t protest.

“And remember you’re still grounded!”

 ---

Diamond City was as sleepy as she was in the morning. The air was very clear and the shadows long and distinct, stretching in bands along the rooftops. A newspaper was on the ground outside the front door of Publick Occurrences, scored with teeth marks and dirt, like some kids had been playing fetch with it. Sighing, Piper picked it up and tossed it into the trash. People didn’t have to like what she wrote, but that didn’t mean they should litter.

The chilling morning mist clung to her skin as she walked towards the Power Noodles stand, hands deep in her pockets. They were already approaching the colder end of the year, and Piper was rather looking forward to Christmas. Diamond City always looked quite pretty when it was decorated with fairy lights and false Christmas trees. And she loved it when everyone would congregate in the chapel to sing old songs and drink lukewarm wine, the children gorging themselves on all the sweet snacks the city had to offer. That reminded her – she needed to save up to buy Nat a present this year.

As she approached the noodle stand, she was very shocked to see that one of the stools already had an inhabitant – a tall, lean woman slouched over with her head resting on one hand, her hair a shock of white against the monochrome grey of the counter. She was very slowly sipping at a bowl of power noodles, almost forcing them down her throat, and Piper grimaced as she imagined the power of her hangover.

“Morning,” she said, as cheerfully as she could.

Solo started, becoming alert as she squinted over at Piper. Those grey eyes were cold, but they were beautiful, almost lustrous silver as they met the morning light. Piper shivered a little, achieving a small smile. “Hungover?”

“A little.” Solo turned back to her noodles. Piper still couldn’t quite get over how different she looked. Every time she returned to Diamond City, something about her seemed to have changed significantly. And, despite Solo spilling her story last night, she was still the biggest mystery in the Commonwealth.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Piper said, though she knew that much was obvious. “Never got to introduce you to my confidential informant, did I?”

Solo’s eyebrows creased in the middle as she watched Piper settle on the stool beside her. “Who?”

Piper smirked, turning to the protrectron robot standing behind the counter, a chef hat perched on the top of its head. “Ah, Takahashi,” she said in a hushed voice, leaning forwards. “Thank you for meeting me here.”

“ _Nan-ni shimasho-ka?_ ” the robot replied.

She widened her eyes in abject horror. “No! But… are you sure?”

“ _Nan-ni shimasho-ka?_ ”

Piper shook her head in mock disappointment, turning to Solo. “Sorry, Blue, but the jig is up. Takashi told me everything. Web of lies? Gone.”

She saw a flicker of a smile on Solo’s face, and it warmed her heart. Encouraged, she leaned a little closer, eyeing the woman accusingly. “I mean… I bet your name’s not even Blue, is it?”

The faint smile evolved into a full one, tweaking Solo’s lips up at the corners, and the woman rolled her eyes. “Gee, you got me.”

Piper grinned, pleased with herself.

“Um…” Solo took a sip of her soup. Her smile had faded quickly, and now she had the awkward look of someone about to break bad news. “About this case…”

Piper’s smile fell too as she steeled herself. She already knew what Solo was going to say, and she already knew what she wanted to say in return.

“You don’t want me along with you?” Piper guessed. “Too bad. Shouldn’t have made me so interested.”

Solo shot her an irritable look. “It’s for the best you stay here, Piper. Valentine told me the cases can sometimes get very dangerous – I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Ha. Blue, what I do isn’t for the faint of heart,” Piper retorted. “If I’m not in trouble, I’m not doing my job right. And just to make things clear: if I’m not heading to the corner of the Commonwealth with you, I’ll just go alone. I’d do as much for any promising story.”

Solo’s lips thinned into a pale line, and she glared down at her bowl of noodles. For a long moment, there was silence – defiantly, and as if to make a point, Piper used the time to order her own bowl of noodles, calmly beginning to eat. If anything, she knew how to stand her ground. If Solo was going to be cold and distant, she’d annoy her until she opened up.

“So I can’t stop you.”

“Not in a million years,” Piper remarked insolently.

Solo’s sigh was not a signal of her resolve leaving, but of the level her tension had reached. She pushed her noodle bowl away impatiently. “What if I said I’m leaving today?”

Piper grinned. “I’ll be right behind you, Blue.”

The woman shook her head, almost in disbelief. “You want this case _that_ badly?”

Piper voiced her affirmation through a mouthful of noodles. After wiping her mouth, she reasoned, “No offense, Blue, but you also kinda need me. You don’t exactly have the greatest people skills in the Commonwealth.”

“And _you_ do?” Solo scoffed.

“I know how to get to the truth. I’ve spent my whole life looking for it,” Piper countered. “Besides, while people might not like me, I always know how to get them to talk.”

“By bothering them until they want to hit you?”

Piper arched an eyebrow, a smile tugging at her lips. “A little aggressive, Blue. But… yes.”

Solo’s grey eyes stared at her until she finally had to look away, but she had a feeling she’d won their little argument. The other woman tucked her hair behind her ears, slid off her stool, and then delivered her a curt nod. “I want to leave tonight, at eight.”

“In the dark?” Piper questioned, confused. “How will we even see where we’re going?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got a torch,” Solo responded wryly.

“Huh.” Piper shook her head. “Well, wandering through places in the dark is how people end up someone else's dinner...”

“If you’re afraid of the dark, don’t show up,” Solo said brusquely. “Otherwise, I’ll see you at eight. I trust you know how to pack.”

Piper scowled at her condescending comment. “Sure, _mom_. I’ll be seeing you at seven thirty.”

She thought she saw another faint smile grace Solo’s lips before she departed, walking with confidence back towards Dugout Inn, shoulders and back straight.

 ---

Solo was a little surprised to see that Piper had remained true to her word. She was already waiting at Diamond City’s entrance when Solo arrived, leaning against an old ticketing counter and chatting away to Danny Sullivan. In the way of weapons, she didn’t have much – nor had she bothered with armor – but the bag she’d packed was huge.

“Did you bring the whole printing press with you?” Solo remarked snidely.

Piper glanced over at her, expression souring. “Nice to see you, too.”

Solo brushed her hair back out of her face, examining the reporter with intense scrutiny. Sure, she was no soldier, but there was something in the way Piper held herself that detracted all sense of vulnerability. Most people remained barely aware of their surroundings; she, on the other hand, was continuously on the lookout, noticing every miniscule detail in the world around her. Solo often had the disconcerting feeling that Piper could see right through her.

Then again, maybe she was just paranoid.

“You ready?” she asked.

Piper shrugged. “Are you? Figured you’d stand me up when you didn’t show up on time.”

Solo sighed, shouldering her rucksack and tightening the strap of her Gatling laser. Compared to Piper, she was dressed for a full-on battle, prepared for whatever may happen. They couldn’t be more different: Solo made sure to avoid fighting at all costs, while Piper often threw herself into it headfirst.

There was no telling who was more foolish.

Piper waved goodbye to Danny and then jogged to catch up with Solo as she passed through the turnstiles and began following the GPS on her Pip-Boy. She knew exactly where she needed to go. Hopefully, Piper wouldn’t hold her back.

 ---

It turned out that Piper was much fitter than the usual Commonwealth commoner. She kept pace with Solo easily, even sparing the breath to talk about random, pointless things. There wasn’t a single thing that she _didn’t_ find the words to remark on.

Before the great war, a strong body used to be a sign of either excessive leisure time or a professional athlete. Nobody else had the time to get fit. Now, it was a definite necessity. If you couldn’t run from danger, you would die. Piper seemed to have taken this matter very seriously.

They walked through the darkness at a rapid pace, remaining alert at every single noise and movement happening around them. They passed the husks of cars, abandoned hotels, decaying carcasses; they crossed rivers and skirted around lakes; they climbed hills and steep rises of rock… and Piper was hardly bothered by any of it.

What the hell did a reporter do to get so athletic?

They finally stopped late the next morning a few miles north of a quarry, setting up camp so they could get some shuteye. They had covered a huge chunk of land in only a few hours, while Solo had expected to take until late afternoon at the very least. She was very impressed with the progress they’d made, and reluctantly told Piper this as they set up their sleeping bags. She got a haughty grin in return and a typical ‘I told you so’ look. Very studiously, she ignored it.

They’d had trouble along the way, of course, in the form of feral ghouls and raiders, but Piper and Solo had made sure to run whenever they were outnumbered. Their goal wasn’t to pick a fight with whoever got in their way, but to get to the Nakano residence in one piece.

Piper took the first nap, tucking herself into her sleeping bag fully clothed and seeming to drift off immediately. Solo, meanwhile, sat cross-legged and kept watch, looking out over the Commonwealth landscape. They were situated up on a grassy hill, and she could tell from the distinct scent of salt in the air that they were close to the sea. Soon, they’d be able to see the waves.

She glanced down beside her at her sleeping companion, frowning at the even rise and fall of her breathing. Solo still wasn’t sure she liked that Piper had come along with her, but she knew that Valentine would approve. He was very fond of the Diamond City reporter, and seemed to think very highly of her.

Maybe, just maybe, Solo could see where he was coming from. Piper, though brash and prying, had the sort of overwhelming confidence and positivity that expanded to everybody around her. And while she’d never admit it, Solo knew that Piper only ever worked for the good of others. Nothing the woman did seemed to be for her own gain – hence, why so many people in Diamond City hated her. She was blatantly selfless and independent, unlike many of the other survivors in the wasteland, which was an enviable thing. It probably didn’t help that she had a kind of understated beauty, either – perhaps because she was so disarmingly unaware of her own prettiness.

Solo sighed. Altruistic and self-governing with a good moral compass… maybe she _was_ glad the woman was with her. Better her than anybody else. At least Piper knew what she was doing.

 ---

It was very late in the afternoon when they arrived at the Nakano residence. They’d spent some time walking along the coast, avoiding the waves as they rushed in so as not to get their shoes wet. Solo was a little surprised by the chilliness, as she often wasn’t so badly affected by the cold. A few mutated seagulls watched them as they passed, perched on decaying wooden posts or pausing in their fishing, and Solo shivered a little under their gaze. Seaweed and the carcasses of dead sea creatures were strewn all over the shore – Piper commented on a few of them, but had overall grown silent as they walked. She finally seemed to be tiring.

The Nakano residence hugged the shoreline such that they had to pass through a very narrow strip of beach to get to it. A wall of porous rock rose on their left, and the sea rushed and swelled to their right, cornering them in. It didn’t help that the sea had washed up obstacles in the form of old paddle boats and crates – Piper and Solo had to climb over several just to reach the rest of the beach.

Finally, they could see it: a pretty red-roofed house in the distance, sitting next to the sea. Its makeshift port was home to several ships – the only sign that this was indeed the fisherman’s home.

The residence actually consisted of a cluster of buildings, including the main house and the expansive shed out back. As Solo and Piper drew closer, they could see potted mutfruit plants situated at the entrance of the main house; a wraparound deck, upon which lay several sleepy cats; several piles of fishing equipment on the dock; and pretty hanging lights decorating the roof. It was a beautiful home, and Solo imagined it was quite peaceful, too.

They both stopped before they climbed the steps to the front door, turning to exchange a worried glance.

From within the house, they could hear the shout of a desperate male voice: “Damn it, come in! I know you’re listening on the other end! Where is she? Where is my daughter?”

“Kenji, please,” a softer female voice spoke, comforting him. “You’ve been at this for hours. Stop! You need sleep.”

Piper climbed the steps onto the deck and approached the door, listening closely. Solo stayed back, feeling it would be rude to eavesdrop.

“She’s out there, Rei,” the man muttered, voice thick. “Someone has her. They could be raiders or gunners or god knows what else!”

Solo felt a sudden drop in her stomach, as if her gut was trying to tell her something. She had a feeling the disappearance had nothing to do with the Commonwealth at all. What would raiders or gunners need with some fisherman’s daughter? What would be the point in kidnapping her?

No, this case extended beyond the usual kidnapping. There was something suspicious here, and Solo was determined to figure out what.


	5. Getting A Clue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solo and Piper begin the case, searching the Nakano household for clues about the missing girl.

“Mr. Nakano?” Piper inquired loudly, knocking on the door.

The speaking inside stopped, and the door was yanked open almost immediately. A middle-aged man stood on the threshold, eyes sweeping over them.

“What? Who are you?” He had dark hollows around his eyes and lines of worry set on either side of his mouth. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. “I-I’m sorry, but we don’t have time for visitors, or caravans, or… wherever you’re from.”

Solo cleared her throat, climbing the steps and joining Piper. “I’m with Valentine’s Detective Agency. You asked for help?”

His expression shifted from suspicion to relief in a split second, his shoulders relaxing. “Oh, thank God,” he gasped. “You have to get to work right away!”

“Kenji…” A woman appeared beside him, appraising them with a careful eye. “At least invite our guests inside.” To Solo and Piper, she added, “I’m sorry. We’ve been expecting you – Kenji thought you might not show up.”

Solo and Piper accepted the woman’s invitation to enter the house, looking around as Kenji darted over to a desk by one of the windows, sifting through papers. The interior was one room with two windows open, a steady breeze floating around them; apart from the empty fireplace, several tin pails and a few baskets filled with dirty clothes, the house was relatively empty. The walls were furnished with paintings of ships at sea – hand-painted, it seemed, with rich colours and a steady hand. Solo eyed the set of stairs in the corner and wondered if the second floor contained more personality.

“There was only one detective agency I know of in the Commonwealth,” Kenji Nakano said weakly, looking up from the desk. “You see, my… my daughter’s missing…”

Piper stepped forward almost immediately, a calming smile on her face. “We’re here to help, Mr. Nakano. Tell us what happened.”

Her tone had shifted almost entirely to one that was soft and persuasive, and Solo stared at her in surprise.

Kenji Nakano’s expression seemed to break. “Thanks to this _damn_ radio-”

“Our daughter Kasumi likes to fix things,” his wife interrupted. Solo regarded her, deciding she must be Rei Nakano, the mother mentioned in Ellie’s case file. She looked just as worn down as her husband, but there was a look in her eyes that reminded Solo of herself – a look of pure determination; a mother desperate to get her child back. “The radio was her latest project.”

“Until she made contact with some kidnapper who lured her away from us,” Kenji Nakano spat.

His wife shot him a glare. “Or maybe she left on her own. She’s not a child anymore.” She looked towards Solo and Piper, her expression softening. “Our daughter is nineteen. She knows how to survive, and she’s capable. I…” She hesitated. “I think she left because she wanted her own life-”

“No!” Kenji Nakano snapped. “She would have told us where she was going! She would have said… _something_!”

Rei Nakano simply shook her head, turning away.

He turned to them, his eyes pleading. “I know my daughter is in danger. I can feel it. Find her, please!”

“We will,” Piper said quickly, still speaking in that soft voice. “Don’t you worry.”

Kenji Nakano’s face relaxed, and he released a heavy sigh. “Thank you. H-her room is upstairs, if that helps. If you have any more questions about her, just ask.”

Piper nodded, and Solo frowned at her. “Before we begin our investigation… Piper, can I talk to you in private?”

The reporter turned to gaze at her in confusion, but nodded anyway. “Sure…”

Solo paraded her back outside, and then shut the door quickly, turning to deliver her an irritable glare. “What the hell are you doing?”

Piper faltered for a second before raising her chin defiantly. “Trying to help a man who’s lost his daughter.”

“By making promises you can’t keep?” Solo scowled. “His daughter could be anywhere, Piper. She could be dead. Our job is to find out what happened to her, not perform a miracle.”

“A miracle?” Piper scoffed. She jabbed her finger towards the house, eyes narrowing. “That man is terrified his daughter’s in trouble. All I did was comfort him, Blue. Remember those people skills I was talking about? _That’s_ what they entail!”

“He doesn’t need comfort, he needs us to find her,” Solo countered angrily.

Piper glared back. “Obviously we have different ways of achieving that goal, Blue, and that’s _fine_.”

They stood at a standoff, glowering back and forth. Finally, Solo sighed and backed down, raking her hair behind her ears. “Fine. Since we do have such different ways of helping people, I say we split up and see which yields better results.”

Piper’s hazel-green eyes glinted with challenge. “I like the sound of that.”

“Good.”

“ _Good_.”

Solo delivered her one last glare, and then opened the door and returned into the house, heading directly for the stairs.

 ---

“I suppose you have questions about my daughter?” Rei Nakano sighed.

Piper leaned against the edge of the desk, the setting sun lighting her face, and nodded. “You and your husband don’t seem to agree about why your daughter left.”

Another heavy sigh. “We both want to find her. The world out there isn’t a place where you want to be alone. But… Kenji still sees her swaddled in diapers. He doesn’t see a young woman with her own decisions to make.”

Piper nodded understandingly, examining the woman’s face. Her eyes were a dark brown, bloodshot from exhaustion, and she had traces of grey and white in her jet-black hair. Here was yet another woman who had lost a child to the Commonwealth.

“Maybe because it’s more frightening,” Rei murmured, eyes casting down at her restless hands. “She wasn’t tricked into leaving without telling us. That was her choice. She didn’t want us to follow. Why?”

Piper furrowed her brow, thinking exactly the same thing. “Tell me about this radio your daughter was working on.”

“I remember Kasumi was very excited about it,” Rei said. “I figured she was secretly trying to make contact with Diamond City or another settlement. We’re… pretty isolated out here. She only has us for company, and Kenji can be overprotective.”

The girl sounded like a genius, but a put-upon one at that. Who wouldn’t want to get out at some point and see the world? Piper could understand Rei Nakano’s argument.

“I’d like to know more about Kasumi,” Piper said carefully. “Might shine a light on where she’s gone.”

Rei Nakano’s eyes flickered with a hint of pride. “My daughter is strong. Focused, careful. That’s how I know she’s still alive. But… why would she leave without telling us? Maybe we… no, never mind – I don’t want to waste your time...”

Piper saw the rapidly closing window and reached for it before it could disappear. “Every detail is important Mrs. Nakano,” she insisted. “Don’t hold back.”

The woman hesitated. “It’s just that we’ve been fighting a lot more. All of us. Ever since Kasumi’s grandfather passed away…” Her eyes betrayed her sadness. “H-he was the only one who could really talk to her. Kenji and I don’t really understand machines, but those two could work together for hours. She started staying in her grandfather’s boathouse till late at night. I thought she was just trying to cope with the loss, but now I wonder what she was up to…”

Piper nodded, touching the woman’s shoulder lightly. It was true that this was incredibly suspicious – it was also true that it seemed to have secrecy written all over it. Solo’s intuition that the Institute was behind this didn’t seem so crazy anymore.

“Thanks, Mrs. Nakano. That’s all for now.”

Rei Nakano bowed her head, turning away. “If you need me, I’ll be out on the docks.”

Piper watched her leave, still a little curious but ultimately feeling she’d received a goldmine of information. There was only one person left to work her charismatic charm on. She stood and turned to Kenji, who was still leaning over his desk and searching through his papers.

“Mr. Nakano?”

He looked up frantically. “Yes?”

“I’ve already talked to your wife, but is there anything more you can tell me about Kasumi? The smallest detail could be important.”

“I… don't know what more to say. She's my little girl and she doesn't know how dangerous this world is.” He cleared his throat. “I never should have let her grandfather teach her how to how to fix these machines.”

“Mrs. Nakano mentioned they were very close,” Piper said softly.

“Yes…” Kenji looked a little lost. “Her grandfather had an ear for machines. Kasumi picked up the knack. He used to scavenge the ruins in the south for parts. I kept telling him he was getting too old...”

Piper could see his face drooping with sadness, and quickly searched for a way to shift the conversation. “Why’d your daughter really leave? Your wife says she left on her own, but you said it was kidnappers.”

His eyes narrowed. “I _know_ it was kidnappers. Kasumi is a smart girl, but she doesn't know how... horrible people can be. Not like me and Rei. Why would she just leave her family? With no explanation? Someone tricked her, got her to leave the safety of home-”

“Hopefully, we’ll figure out the answers to some of those questions,” Piper reassured him. “Uh… this might be a long shot, but do you have any idea of where she could’ve gone?”

“We know she took one of the boats, but that's all. She could be anywhere.”

Piper nodded slowly. “Thanks for your help, Mr. Nakano.”

He grabbed her wrist before she could walk away, staring directly into her eyes. “You will find her, right? You’ll bring her back to us?”

Remembering what Solo had told her, Piper hesitated for a long moment. Was it really so cruel to leave these people with a sense of hope? She gritted her teeth, nodding firmly at Kenji Nakano. “I’ll do my best. I promise.”

 ---

Solo stood very still for a second as she glanced around the landing. Three rooms, the doors wide open – and yet none of them had been used very recently. The Nakano’s had spent their nights trying to track down their daughter, too busy to sleep. Solo knew the feeling well.

The room at the end of the landing looked like a bathroom, complete with checkered tiles and a half-collapsed bathtub, and the room immediately on her right contained only a rusty double bed and sparse shelves. Solo decided on the third room, striding in there slowly and taking a look around.

It had a vaulted ceiling, the roof creating a slant on one side instead of a wall. There were some little cracks in it that let the air in, so Solo could imagine that it got extremely cold here in the winter. Out of all the rooms in the house, this one was the busiest – there were shelves, filing cabinets, discarded boxes and files… even an old control panel. Every surface was littered with tools and metal pieces, and all available wall space was plastered with posters, mind maps and blueprints.

Solo let out a low whistle.

Dust billowed beneath her feet as she walked over to the window and took a look outside, having to lean against the desk. The sun was setting over the waves, tinging them with gold, red and purple. A beautiful view, really, though Solo imagined it could get quite lonely here. Lonely enough that a girl might want to run away and find a life for herself somewhere else.

She glanced down at the desk, scrutinizing the items Kasumi had left behind before her departure. A couple screwdrivers and old magazines, and two partly-built control panels, their wires stripped and wound together. She’d been in the middle of a project. What could send a girl running before she’d even finished building something she was seemingly passionate about?

Solo’s eyes flitted over an orange square beneath one of the magazines, and she picked it out, smirking to herself. _Bingo_. Without hesitation, she popped open the disc drive of her Pip-Boy and slipped the holotape inside, clicking play.

A chipper, young-sounding voice filled the silence:

“ _Project log: radio. Correction – working radio! I’ll finally get some news outside this house_.” She laughed a little breathlessly, evidently exhilarated. “ _My handle is going to be… uh, let’s go with Ohm’s Law. That should confuse some creeps, and if someone actually gets the reference, then we’ll at least have circuitry in common…_ ”

Solo found herself smiling as she listened to the young woman’s chatty voice. Kasumi had been happy here, and she’d enjoyed working with all these machines. If the Institute was still a suspect here, then she almost seemed like the perfect mind to fit their mold.

As the holotape clicked loudly to signal its end, Solo caught another orange object with her eye – this one under the bed. She ejected the current tape and darted over to collect the next, inserting it quickly.

Kasumi sounded much less joyful in this one, her voice strained:

“ _Project log: dreams. Recording what I can remember when I wake up. I keep on having the same one. I’m in a white room. People are talking about me like I’m not there, or maybe they just don’t care..._ ”

All of Solo’s muscles seemed to tense at once, and she felt her heart skip in her chest. A white room? It was too suspicious to be discounted, even if this was only one of Kasumi’s dreams.

“… _And then there’s this… I don’t know… jolt. Like a spark of electricity in the back of my head. And then everyone turns to look at me.”_ A weary sigh. _“God… I hope I don’t have it again tonight_ …”

The tape clicked off, and Solo stared thoughtfully at Kasumi’s bed. The events of her dream were too suspicious – much too suspicious. What if the dreams hadn’t been dreams? What if they’d been memories? Caught with the sudden urge to question Kasumi’s parents more, Solo grabbed the holotape out of her Pip-Boy and left the room.

As she climbed down the stairs, however, she saw Piper was already waiting for her, and she forced down any urge to boast about the clues she’d uncovered when she saw the concerned expression on her partner’s face.

“Blue… there’s something you need to see,” Piper said carefully.

Solo forgot about their competition instantly, knowing that the reporter must have found something important. “What is it?”

“I was questioning Mr. and Mrs. Nakano,” Piper began. “And they mentioned something about the boathouse, and how long Kasumi would spend in there. Naturally… I did a bit of snooping.”

Solo reached the bottom step and stared down at Piper expectantly. “What did you find?”

“A note.” Piper handed it over.

Solo grasped the folded piece of paper and gave the words a once-over, frowning.

_My dear Kasumi,_

_If you ever get locked out of the safe, then the answer is here in the boathouse. Picture where the key is._

_Love,_

_Granddad_

“Okay… so it’s a sweet note from her granddad – so what?” Solo remarked, unconvinced.

“Kasumi’s parents were telling me how close she was to her granddad. He taught her all about mechanics and fixing up machines,” Piper said, with a feverish glint in her eye. “I figured the note was too short to be an actual letter. If they were that close, he’d have left her something longer…”

“Piper, get to the point,” Solo warned impatiently.

“‘Picture where the key is’,” Piper recited, jabbing at the paper in Solo’s hands. “Picture. Where the key is. Get it? There was a picture on the desk in there, and I found a key hidden in the back!”

Solo rolled her eyes. “Piper, I appreciate the astounding detective work, but… the suspense is a little too much, don’t you think?”

Piper sighed. “Fine.” She held up a small orange tape similar to the one Solo was holding. “I opened the safe in the boathouse, and there was only this inside. And – get this – it’s labeled ‘Kasumi’s Final Holotape’.”

Solo raised her eyebrows, understanding now why Piper had looked so worried when she came downstairs. The holotapes she’d listened to so far had been nothing compared to what was probably on this one.

“Good work,” she said appreciatively. “Who’d have thought your way actually _was_ the right way?”

Piper scowled. “Do I seriously have to mention again that I snoop around for a living?”

Solo chuckled a little, plucking the holotape from the other woman’s hands. “No, you don’t. Here – let’s listen.”

She inserted it into her Pip-Boy and then held her wrist up between them so they could both hear Kasumi’s voice clearly. Similar to the dream log holotape, she sounded uncertain and drained in this one, the tension in her voice evident.

“ _Project log: um… myself. I never really thought about who or… what I am, but… God, where do I start?”_

Solo and Piper locked eyes, exchanging a meaningful look.

“ _The radio,”_ she said, a hint of pride in her voice. _“I was right about the range. I managed to get a strong signal from up north. There’s a group of people up there – they say they’re all synths, synthetic people. Made by the Institute...”_

Piper’s eyes widened. “Blue-”

“Shh!” Solo hissed.

“ _They’re trying to build a place for their kind, where they can be themselves and be accepted for what they are alongside human beings._ ” A short hesitation. “ _It sounds wonderful, but… then they started asking about me. And some questions came up. Questions I don’t have answers to.”_

Again, a knowing glance was exchanged. Solo already knew where this was going, and she felt an almost overwhelming wave of sympathy for Kasumi’s parents. How complicated was this case going to be?

_“… I mean, I’ve always felt… off… like I’m not really supposed to be here. But then there are things in my childhood I can’t remember, and I’ve been having strange dreams….”_ A deep breath, her breath shaking – she almost sounded as if she’d just made the decision on the spot. “ _I… I’m going to go. To meet with these synths. I-I have to know the truth about myself. They’ve told me to sail up north to a town called Far Harbor. I can make my way from there._ ”

The click came suddenly, signaling the end of the tape, and Solo was frozen for a few seconds, feeling that there must be more. But truthfully, she’d told them all they needed to know: they knew she’d left voluntarily, that she’d headed somewhere called Far Harbor, and – most importantly – that this had been something to do with synths.

And if it had something to do with synths, Kasumi might be in serious danger.

On a sudden impulse, Solo glanced at Piper and asked, “What do you think?”

Piper’s brow was furrowed in thought. “I think if Kasumi felt she’d be safe leaving home, she wouldn’t have bothered recording a final holotape. Wherever she is now… she could be hurt, or...” Her eyes were brightly curious as they finally met Solo’s – she was completely in her element. “I think we’ve got an interesting case on our hands, Blue.”

Solo ejected the holotape disc from her Pip-Boy and slid it into her bag along with the other two she’d collected from Kasumi’s room. “Let’s go see if we can find more evidence before we break the news.”

 ---

An hour ago, the sunset had radiated across the sea in delightful hues of orange and pink; now, the sky was a moonless, cloudless void. There had been no certain transition between the two – the night had simply descended out of nowhere into a claustrophobic ceiling of impenetrable darkness. The breeze coming in from the sea was even colder now, and carried with it a salty dampness that swept through Solo’s loose hair and clothes.

She was standing on the deck, staring out towards the north, deep in thought as she tried to imagine Kasumi Nakano making her escape into that darkness. Would she have been terrified to be so cold and alone? Or had she been excited, alive with the prospect that she would figure out who she truly was?

Nearby, beyond the sound of worried voices speaking within the house, Solo could hear the gentle lapping of waves against the sand. It reminded her of the ticking of a clock, and yet it didn’t tell her the time and it didn’t rush her to move on. She could close her eyes and stand here and for once not think about where she should be. Here, in the very corner of the Commonwealth, she was as far as possible from the world of strict routine, self-management and structure that the Brotherhood had provided. Maybe this was what she’d needed when she left.

“Blue?”

Solo opened her eyes, but she didn’t turn to see who had spoken. There was only one person who insisted on calling her that, even though she’d never mentioned she was fine with it.

Piper’s hands touched the wooden railing as she came to stand next to Solo, gazing out over the ocean. Her profile in the faint light was one of worry and confusion, chin dipped slightly and eyelashes fluttering just so.

“Get anything else from them?” Solo asked softly, not wanting to disturb the silence.

Piper shook her head imperceptibly, lips parting before she looked down, scrutinizing her hands. She was, as usual, wearing those leather fingerless gloves, though she looked cold anyway. Wriggling her fingers, she muttered, “I don’t want this to be another Institute story.”

“No?” Solo smiled slightly. “Thought it’d be perfect for that paper of yours.”

Piper sighed. “It’s not about having something to write about in the next issue, Blue. It’s about people still having to be scared, still being in danger, still… having to suffer like those two parents in there…”

“We don’t know what we’ll find yet.”

Piper didn’t reply, falling into a dejected silence.

“Hey, it’s not too bad,” Solo said, bumping her shoulder. “I’ve gotten rid of the Institute once before, haven’t I?”

The reporter shot her a mocking look. “With a huge Brotherhood army, their airship, and their reanimated robot at your back, sure. But it’s just us this time.”

“If Kasumi is in danger, we’ll get her out of it. Whether it’s the Institute, raiders, gunners – whatever. We’ll find her, and we’ll bring her home.”

Piper looked a little taken aback by her strong words. Amusedly, she said, “You know, too few folks can be bothered about this sort of thing. It’s a nice change.”

“It’s my job,” Solo muttered.

“Still.” Piper turned so her back was against the railing, gazing inquisitively at Solo instead of the sea. “It’s reassuring to know you want to do good, Blue.” Her eyes became distant, and she folded her arms across her chest. “‘Course… in my experience, if you want to do real good, being nice only gets ya so far.”

Solo smirked. “Really?”

Piper grimaced, seeming unpleasantly reminded of the truth. “Look at Diamond City, a place I’ve been trying to warn of real danger for half of my life. But every issue I publish, all I hear is, ‘ _Oh, Piper, why don’t you publish anything happy? Piper, why can’t you write something nice for a change?_ ’” She rolled her eyes, and Solo smiled even wider. “It’s enough to make me want to hang up my hat somedays.”

Solo frowned at her in mock horror. “Piper Wright? To stop being a reporter?”

“Well…”

“If you’ve considered it, why not just give people what they want?”

Piper’s eyes flashed. “What they _want_? I’m trying to give people what they _deserve_ – the truth! Sure, it can be scary knowing what’s really out there…” She sighed, again staring down at her hands. “Before you took down the Institute, I spent every night afraid that some Institute drone’d decide today’s the day to pay ol’ Piper and family a visit. But… it’s worth it. Because I know the truth, and that’s what protects us.”

Solo raised an eyebrow. “Wrong. Good armor and weaponry is what protects us.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Piper retorted, waving a hand. “I know all about you Brotherhood fanatics. Keep your military porn to yourself.”

Solo grinned, deciding not to answer back, and gazed out over the sea again. Finally, she remarked, “Scared, huh? Could’ve fooled me.”

Evidently, Piper realized this was Solo’s vague attempt at paying her a compliment, and she beamed.

“I’m pushy, not crazy. Honestly, these days, I’m more scared for my sister. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to her. But I’m not the only one with something to lose.” She gestured back at the house. “That’s why people deserve to know what’s out there, good or bad.”

A little reproachfully, Solo muttered, “You’d really risk your family like that?”

“I’m not saying it’s without consequences. But in my experience, it’s worth it,” Piper protested. “I’ve seen firsthand what the truth can do. My sister and I, we grew up way out in the Commonwealth. Tiny little settlement. Our Dad, he was part of the local militia. ‘Keeping the raiders off our backs and mirelurks out of our latrines,’ as he’d describe it.” She smiled a little, though it was tinged with sadness. “Then one day, our Dad turns up dead. His captain, _asshole_ named Mayburn, claims raiders must’ve gotten him on watch…”

Solo nodded slowly, already knowing where this story was going. Of course, she shouldn’t have just assumed that Piper had never lost someone. Out here in the Commonwealth, pretty much everyone had experienced grief. Perhaps she’d just thought that the risks Piper allowed into her life were a sign of naivety.

“Well, I didn’t buy it,” Piper said, her eyes dark. “I start making inquiries. Turns out, the captain, he’d sold out. Thought he wasn’t getting paid enough to babysit the town. He was going to leave the gates open one night, let a group of raiders sack the place, and take a cut of the profits. My Dad found out and was going to turn Mayburn in, but Mayburn got to him first. And I wasn’t about to let that bastard get away with murder.”

“So you turned him in?” Solo guessed.

“I tried talking to the Mayor, but he wouldn’t listen.” Piper’s lips quirked up at the corners. “Seems to be a running theme, doesn’t it? Anyway – instead, I papered the entire town in posters: ‘ _Wanted for Gross Dereliction of Duty. Captain Mayburn_.’” She smirked. “Mayor sure wanted to talk after that. The town threw Mayburn out on his ass and were dug-in when a very surprised group of raiders finally showed.”

She looked proud, but Solo could see the underlying sadness there – the sort of grief that would probably never go away. Maybe… she’d interpreted Piper wrong, after all.

“I’m sorry about your dad,” she said softly.

“Thanks,” Piper said, shrugging it off. “It was hard after he was gone, but knowing that he died doing right… that’s made it easier.”

Solo opened her mouth, wanting to say more, but Piper’s eyes quickly sharpened and she pushed herself off the railing. Her cheeks had pinked very suddenly, and she cleared her throat. “Uh – hey, I’m sorry if I’ve been rambling. I just get fired up sometimes. I guess it’s just nice to talk to someone who actually seems to get it, you know?”

Solo stared at her thoughtfully, realizing that it was true – she _did_ get it. She and Piper had both spent most of their time in the Commonwealth searching for some form of the truth and trying to avenge the loss of their loved ones. Perhaps they weren’t so different.

“Sure,” Solo said, at a loss for words.

Piper nodded. “I… er, told Mr. and Mrs. Nakano what we found, and asked them all they knew about Kasumi and the synths. But I think they wanted to talk to both of us about the next step.”

“Oh, sure.” Solo straightened as well, returning to professionalism, and then followed the reporter back into the house.

Rei and Kenji were crouching by the fireplace, filling it with old pieces of tinder and cardboard so they could warm the house up a little. As soon as Solo and Piper entered, they stood very quickly.

“Detective-”

“I think it’s best we set off as soon as we can,” Solo said, cutting Kenji off. “In her holotape, Kasumi mentioned taking off somewhere up north. Do you know what’s up there?”

Kenji Nakano froze. “Where, specifically? I’ve been up the coast, almost to where the waters start to freeze, but that’s a lot of miles…”

“She mentioned a place called Far Harbor in her holotape,” Piper said. “An island.”

“She went that far up north?” Mr. Nakano placed a hand against his forehead. “God, that explains why she took the boat. You have to go after her, please! Take my other ship on the dock outside – my father’s design. It has a guidance system, and it’s built for distance.”

Solo nodded swiftly, though she felt she wasn’t done yet. “What can we expect out there, Kenji?”

“I-I only made the trip to Far Harbor once, when I was a boy,” he explained agitatedly. “All I remember is that my father didn’t want to stay long. Something about the air being bad. If my daughter is there… it can’t be anything good. And these synths, they-”

“We’ll get to the bottom of this, Mr. Nakano,” Piper reassured him hurriedly. “Wherever she is, we’ll find her.”

Again, with the false promises. Solo tried to swallow down her irritation at Piper, taking a glance out of the window. “Where’s that boat you were talking about?”


	6. Far From Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now they know more about the case, Solo and Piper head out across the sea to the distant island of Far Harbor. They don't receive a very warm welcome...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a while to update, guys! Chapters should come a little faster over the next few weeks, so I won't be leaving you in suspense for much longer. Thanks for reading so far, and I hope you're enjoying the story.

It was an old fishing boat – essentially a floating tin can, as Piper saw it. The white paint was peeling, and the hull was coated in barnacles and seaweed, smelling of something dead and salt-drenched. Not that it didn’t look sea-worthy. Piper had never been on a boat before, and was surprised to find that it was so steady beneath her feet; the waves gently lapped at the sides, but it was too heavy to be swayed by them.

She glanced back over her shoulder to see Solo crouching inside the cabin, messing with the boat’s motor, face lit only by a torch and a glowing lantern that was placed on the floor. Kenji Nakano had mentioned that the engine didn’t run so well and had offered a hand, but Solo had surprised all of them by declining his help.

The moment they’d stepped on the boat, Solo had been mumbling nonsense words to herself, as if labelling a picture in her mind – _bulkhead_ , _pot bauler_ , _transom_ , _drum winch_ …

Piper had no idea what she was talking about. She’d said something about the metal rig set up in the middle of the boat and Solo had corrected her – apparently, it was a “Puretic power block.” Even the sides of the boat had been designated _port_ and _starboard_.

Was there seriously a boat language Piper had never heard of? If so, how the hell did Solo know about it?

Shivering a little at the frigid wind drifting in from the murky sea, Piper walked over to Solo and leaned against the doorway of the cabin, tucking her hands in her pockets. In the distance, she could hear the odd buzzing and clicking sounds of night creatures patrolling the shore, and also the slight tremble of footsteps within the Nakano household. But, in essence, all was quiet. Piper didn’t like it one bit.

“So… how’d you become an expert on boats, Blue?” she inquired lightly.

Solo turned to her, as if surprised to hear her speak, and her expression clouded for a long moment. Finally, she shrugged and turned back to the control panel. “My Dad was a ship enthusiast. He knew everything about every boat – even had one of his own. It helped, I guess, that we lived next to the sea. I grew up with boats and learned everything he knew.”

Her open honesty stunned Piper, but she only said, “Your dad, huh?”

“Pretty long time ago,” Solo said dryly.

Piper wondered what had happened to Solo’s parents before she was locked away in Vault 111 and frozen for two centuries. Had they still been alive when that first bomb was dropped? Had Solo mourned their deaths like she mourned the deaths of her more immediate family?

Solo flicked a switch, and there was a loud rumble as the boat vibrated to life beneath them – Piper flinched and grabbed at the wall. It seemed the motor was fixed, but she wasn’t sure she would enjoy this trip at all.

“Here.” Solo grabbed something out of an overhead compartment and handed it to her – a fluorescent orange vest made of some strange hard material. “Put it on.”

“What is it?” Piper asked, though she did what she was told.

“Life vest. If you go overboard, it’ll help you float.”

Piper swallowed, pausing in buckling the straps as she stared at Solo. “And is there a high chance I might fly out of this boat, Blue?”

Solo shrugged, though there was a hint of a smile on her face. “We’ll see how stormy it gets.”

“What about you?”

“Huh?”

“Are you wearing one of these?” Piper asked.

Solo turned to the control board and flipped another switch – the choppy water ahead of them was illuminated instantly, and she smiled in satisfaction. “Nope.”

Piper sighed and glanced over her shoulder at the rest of the ship, still shrouded in salty darkness. “How long d’you think this trip will be?”

“Mr. Nakano didn’t say. Want to ask him?”

“Never mind.” Piper stepped out of the cabin and sat on a narrow bench against the wall, inhaling to calm herself. There was a loud jolt as the boat shifted beneath her, and she grabbed hold of the bench with tight fists. It started moving away from the port, and she could see Mr. and Mrs. Nakano standing outside their house waving them off. Piper raised a shaking hand to wave back, gritting her teeth in the process. _We’ll find your daughter – if we don’t die in the sea along the way…_

The boat was moving the hell of a lot now, battered by the choppy waves, and she wondered how much it would take to tip the thing over. Very soon, the lights of the Nakano household and the Commonwealth had become distant blurs in the darkness, and Piper reached down to settle the lantern between her feet.

“Piper?” Solo called over the sound of the motor.

She shouted back, “Yes?”

“You still in the boat?”

Piper rolled her eyes. ‘Whaddya think, Blue?”

She could faintly hear some laughter and frowned to herself, hunching even tighter on the bench. It was easy for Solo, who had done this before, but Piper had hardly ever touched the sea – how was she supposed to deal with this?

Very soon, the boat was wreathed in darkness, and Piper worried that they would crash into something. She could feel cold, wet wind on her face and smell salt in the air. Her skin was stinging and moist already, and they’d hardly been going for ten minutes.

Nausea began roiling in her gut, and she clenched her jaw shut. God _damn_ it. She’d heard of seasickness before, of course, but she hadn’t known it would be like this. It felt like her stomach was swelling with each wave that sent the boat shuddering upwards, and her limbs were shaking mercilessly. The need to throw up came suddenly and violently, and Piper disregarded her fear of going overboard as she threw herself at the railing and angled her head over the side.

When she was done, she slid down and sat against the side of the boat, tipping her head back and gasping for air that wasn’t salty or freezing. No luck. Her hands were tucked between her legs, so it came as a surprise when fingers were pressed against her forehead. She opened her eyes and saw Solo crouching in front of her.

She stumbled over her words, “Why the – who’s-”

“The guidance system can operate on its own,” Solo said, guessing her question. “Think of it as autopilot.”

“But-”

“The boat isn’t crashing, Piper. Chill out.” Solo straightened up and returned into the cabin, leaving Piper where she was. When she came back, she had a small metal bottle of water. “Sip this, and try to relax.”

“Relax?” Piper glowered at her. “I’m sitting in a floating metal box, Blue. I _can’t_.”

Solo seemed displeased by this. “Did you know you were prone to seasickness?”

“Uh… _no_. How could I if I’ve never been on a boat before?”

She still seemed irritated, but Solo offered her a hand. “Do you want to sit back on the bench? Or inside the cabin, maybe?”

“I’m fine here,” Piper muttered, feeling the nausea returning already.

“Fair enough.”

Solo disappeared back into the cabin, and Piper hugged her knees to her chest. This was going to be a long journey.

 ---

The seas differed from calm and windy to the sorts of waves that Piper imagined would tower over her if she were standing onshore. The boat flew over them easily, crashing down in between each swell, and Piper found herself absolutely drenched in saltwater.

Eventually, the night got less dark – Piper found that if she stood up and braced herself against the railing, she could see the horizon in each direction. She could also see stars, which was a shocking realization. The Commonwealth sky was always thick with clouds and radiation, so night time was often just a murky black soup. Here, in the middle of the sea, Piper could see glowing pinpricks everywhere against the pitch black. They created warped, twisting shapes, dancing across the sky in patterns that reminded Piper of sequins, or even the scattered embers of a dying fire. They were beautiful, and she managed to forget her nausea completely just by watching them.

And then they entered the mist.

She heard Solo’s call from inside the cabin, warning her to come inside, and she did as she was told. The other woman was watching the sea ahead of the boat, wearing only a leather bomber jacket over her armor to keep her warm. She also had a grey knit cap pulled over her head, hiding her silver-white hair. For the first time since they’d left the Commonwealth behind, she looked a little worried.

“What’s wrong?” Piper asked.

“See that? It’s full of radiation, I think.” Solo pointed at the thick clouds ahead of the boat, and Piper became aware of the clicking sound of her Pip-Boy. The Geiger-counter was going crazy, and they’d hardly even approached the mist yet.

Without another word, Piper reached behind her and shut the door to the cabin, feeling a chill shudder through her bones. They were approaching much slower now, but that didn’t make the mist seem any less scary. As they entered the cloud, their visibility was reduced almost immediately to nothing, and Solo swore under her breath.

“This isn’t a good sign.”

“Couldn’t we have gone around it?” Piper questioned.

“Sure,” Solo remarked dryly. “Except Far Harbor happens to be right in the middle of it.”

“Oh.”

The boat’s lights gave them a view of the water about five feet ahead of them, but the swirling mist made them otherwise blind. Solo switched the engines to their lowest setting, breathing out an uneasy sigh through her teeth as she took manual control. They drifted smoothly and silently through the waves, both staring out of the windshield, and Piper suddenly found herself wishing she had a camera. They were rare, hard to fix, and normally rendered unnecessary in the Commonwealth, but she’d always wanted one, if only to capture moments like this.

“Shit!” Solo suddenly snapped, wrenching the boat’s controls to the left as a wall of slick black rock rose up in front of them. Piper grabbed hold of the wall to steady herself as they slid sickeningly close to the cliff before veering off to the left.

And then another rock wall rose – and another – and Piper found herself wishing they’d done this during the day. She threw herself against the wall, holding on as Solo began steering them wildly out of danger, mumbling a string of curses under her breath. If anything, the woman knew how to stay remarkably calm; Piper felt like an idiot for reacting so dramatically to the danger.

Finally, with the engine spitting and the floor at their feet already pooling with inches of water, the fog began to clear and it seemed they had passed the worst obstacles of their journey. Piper placed her hands on top of the control panel to peer out of the window.

All around them were half-sunken objects and miniature islands swathed in gloom. Shipwrecks were jutting out of the water, hoisting pieces of decaying fabric and other debris. As they advanced through the ship graveyard, she saw signs of human presence – a lantern or two placed on one of the protruding rocks; a fire burning in a barrel onshore; a dilapidated wooden house on stilts with light glowing within.

It seemed they had reached the island after all.

To their left, the shore flattened out and Piper had her first view of Far Harbor – a town built right on the edge of the sea. Most of the buildings were shells, and the trees she could see were completely leafless and dead. Even the telephone lines from before the war were twisted and broken. Oddly enough, as they passed several docks, she saw lampposts containing a light she had never seen before – glowing blue, making a loud humming noise. And, unless she was imagining it, it seemed that they kept the fog at bay.

Solo slowed the boat until they were moving at a snail’s pace, approaching the entrance to Far Harbor that glowed with comforting orange light.

Feeling she was safe to do so, Piper wrenched open the cabin’s door and ventured outside, breathing in slowly. The air tasted different to the Commonwealth, but she couldn’t exactly say it was bad; she was definitely sucking in rads by the second. If anything, it was also even colder here – she felt the wind piercing through her clothes, numbing her nose and fingers. But she smiled all the same as the boat pulled up to a final dock, seeing that there seemed to be people waiting for them.

They were standing on the wooden steps leading up into the city, both little more than silhouettes in the darkness. One, as far as Piper could tell, was a woman – the other was a burly man with a large rifle.

“…Mainlanders ain’t nothing but trouble.”

“Put the damned gun down!” the woman hissed.

Their voices cut through the peculiar silence of the harbor, and Piper glanced back at Solo to see if she’d heard them. The other woman was too busy turning off the engine and packing up all her things, zipping up her jacket.

Finally, she tossed hers and Piper’s bags onto the dock, ignoring Piper’s half-formed protests, and tugged a rope free from where it was tied against the boat’s railing. Nimbly, she followed the bags over the side, landing lightly on the creaking wooden planks. She wrapped the rope around one of the dock’s posts, fastening it against the wood to make sure the boat wouldn’t drift away, and Piper felt it pull taut as the boat shifted on the waves. Once finished, Solo straightened and glanced up at Piper. “Coming?”

Piper cleared her throat, feeling embarrassed. “Yeah…”

Solo extended a hand and Piper accepted it gratefully, climbing over the railing and jumping down, stumbling a little on the dock as her knees grew used to the feel of unmoving land. Finally, they’d arrived, and Piper was so unbelievably relieved that she could almost overlook the embarrassment of not being able to climb out of the boat by herself. Then, to her surprise, Solo spun her so they were facing each other and reached for the front of her clothes.

“W-what the hell are you-” Piper stuttered in shock.

Solo paused and withdrew her hand. “You’re still wearing the life vest.”

“Oh. Heh. I can… do that myself.” Piper wished she would stop blushing already. Could she get any more embarrassing? She quickly unbuckled the bulky vest, yanked it off, and tossed it back into the boat. Solo looked entertained, but she had the grace not to comment on Piper’s mortification.

“Are you lost?” a female voice called.

Both Solo and Piper glanced up at their welcoming party. A tall woman with close-cropped hair, wearing slacks and a black vest, had spoken to them. She had a kind face, though she held herself in a way that made Piper think she was no stranger to the dangers of the Commonwealth.

“This is Far Harbor,” the woman told them. “We… don’t get many visitors around here.”

“We don’t need no freeloaders or more ‘help’, _mainlanders_ ,” the man spat at them. “So you can get back in your boat and leave.”

Just as Piper was about to protest at his unjustified coldness towards them, the woman turned to shoot him a glare. “Allen, this isn’t your dock. It belongs to the whole town, and that means strangers are welcome.” She sighed, turning back to Piper and Solo. “Sorry, you’ve caught us during a… difficult time.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Piper said coolly.

“Allen _has_ got a point, though,” the woman asserted. “Not all visitors have good intentions. So, what’s your business here?”

“We need information about a synth refuge on this island,” Solo clarified.

The woman seemed to understand immediately. “Ah, some more Commonwealth travelers looking for Acadia then,” she remarked. “We can-”

The obnoxiously loud ringing of a bell interrupted her midsentence, and both she and Allen turned to stare back towards the city. Shouts could be heard beyond the harbor wall and within the buildings, and Piper felt her blood suddenly run cold.

“Damnit,” Allen muttered. “Mariner’s incoming.”

A woman burst through the door at the top of the steps, a gun held aloft as she shouted down towards them. “Captain Avery – something’s coming through the Fog!”

The woman nodded at her. “You,” she snapped, turning to Piper and Solo. “Help us defend the town and I’ll answer any questions you have.”

Piper automatically found herself turning to Solo, waiting for her to take the lead. She was the fighter here, and Piper trusted her to make the decisions. The other woman nodded her affirmation, taking the deal.

“Good. You can take a post at the top of the wall near the main gate,” Captain Avery told them. “The Hull never lets us down – now follow me!”

She and Allen began jogging up the steps towards the city, and Piper and Solo had little other choice than to follow them. Each wooden board creaked and swayed beneath their feet, but Piper was much more worried about the incoming danger than the idea of falling into the sea.

Allen followed the dark-haired woman whom he’d called the Mariner through the main entrance, gun held aloft, while Captain Avery led the way up a wooden staircase. Solo was right behind her, moving sleek and fast with her Brotherhood-issued laser pistol already in her hands. Piper yanked her 10mm out of its holster at her hip, though she wasn’t exactly sure whether or not she even had enough ammo for a fight.

They reached the top of the stairs, where Piper was surprised to see a very narrow balcony overlooking an empty courtyard filled with fog. There were several people already up here watching the courtyard with steady eyes, and there was the distant sound of yelling – the Mariner giving them orders.

“Careful on the Hull, strangers! Don’t fall off!” Captain Avery warned Piper and Solo, waving them forward. “If you do, we might not be able to rescue you in time.”

Piper swallowed down her anxiety, following Solo as she elbowed her way through some of the people and found an empty space where she could see the danger below. Already, she’d dumped her bag on the floor to free her shoulders, grey eyes levelled on the mist.

“Man the Hull!” the Mariner yelled from somewhere down below. “There’s something out there!”

Piper felt adrenaline flood her body as she raised her pistol, eyes frantically scanning the space down below for movement. She saw absolutely nothing. The courtyard was filled with those glowing lights she had seen on the way in, causing momentary lapses in the thick radioactive fog, flickering blue and white. In the distance, beyond the townspeople, she heard voices:

“… _The gate! Open the gate! I’ve got wounded out here!_ ”

The voice echoed off the buildings, piercing through the mist, and moments later they saw a man running towards them. Solo stiffened up beside her, angling her gun towards the incoming people – a group of men and women dressed in ragged clothing, many of them limping. Some of the Far Harbor people murmured their consent, calling for the gate to be opened, but they were cut off by the Mariner: “There’s no time! Look to the Fog! They’re _coming_!”

A few moments of silence as the strangers crowded below, calling to be let in, and then there was a piercing shout from one of the guards: “ _Gulpers!_ ”

The people down below spun instantly, backing towards the wall – even from up here, Piper could see the terrified looks on their faces. “Oh God!” one of them shouted. “Defend yourselves!”

“Ready, all!” Captain Avery ordered. “Fire at will!”

There was a large explosion to their right, blocking one of the roads, and Piper squinted against the bright orange light, raising her pistol. A hulking shape came charging towards the wall, letting loose a bloodcurdling roar as it threw itself at the cowering people in the courtyard. In unison, everyone on the upper side of the wall began firing, riddling the creature with bullets. It let out a wheeze of pain and fury, but fell quickly. As soon as it was dead, more of its friends came sprinting towards Far Harbor to replace it, howling for blood.

Piper was horrified.

They moved on two feet, with claw-like arms and long, flat heads – the mutated brethren of Deathclaws. They definitely had teeth sharp enough to rip a man to shreds, which she could see as one of the people down below was dragged to the ground and torn to bloody pieces. She had already been firing for a while, but her 10mm bullets hardly seemed to faze the monsters – they twitched and shrugged off the pain, simply going after the closest people they could see. Surely, once they were all dead, these beasts would climb the wall and eat everybody else.

What a day to arrive in Far Harbor.

Solo cursed loudly, dropping her laser pistol and bending down. Piper covered her, shooting wildly into the mist and hurriedly switching chambers. There were only four survivors left down below – most of them were too injured to put up a good fight. Piper didn’t really want to watch them die, but she figured they were all dead anyway.

When Solo straightened up, she had her heavy laser gun in both hands, her expression grim. “You’re staying here, right?” she shouted.

Piper stared at her. “Wha-”

Before her very eyes, Solo climbed over the edge of the wooden railing and threw herself off the wall without a moment’s hesitation. She landed heavily on the ground below, grimacing as her ankle twisted beneath her.

“Solo!” Piper yelled automatically, throwing herself at the railing and staring down in shock.

Seconds later, Solo was up and sprinting towards the fray, throwing herself in front of the survivors. The Gatling laser spun beams in every direction, and there were numerous howls from the Gulpers as they were pierced by waves of burning energy. All of a sudden, it seemed the tides had turned – both the Mariner and Captain Avery began spurring on their people with much more vigor, yelling encouragement. The beasts were stumbling backwards, several of them falling and twitching in the dust.

Piper began firing again too, even though she didn’t feel she was doing much. Her eyes were on Solo the whole time, watching the silver hair in the mist and the people cowering behind her.

Who knew a Brotherhood soldier could be such a hero?

Eventually, all the Gulpers had either fled or were lying dead in the courtyard. All around her, Piper heard resounding whoops of triumph from the people of Far Harbor. Down below, one of the survivors Solo had protected had broken into tears of relief.

“It’s over!” Allen called triumphantly.

The Mariner’s voice was just as strained as earlier: “No! Keep your eyes on the Fog. Something else is coming!”

_Oh, for God’s sake_ , Piper thought.

The shrill, pulsating growl of a new creature struck through the night, an alien noise she had never heard before. Underneath the drone of those fog-clearer lights, the sound was hardly even audible.

“Watch yourself, stranger!” Captain Avery shouted down to Solo. “They’re coming up to your right!”

Solo instantly spun herself, angling towards the thickest part of the fog. Before she could begin firing, however, a glowing ball of orange came flying at the wall, exploding against it and turning to flames. There were several screams and shouts as people scrambled to get clear, but the fire balls kept on coming – they smashed against the walls and the ground, exploding in searing orange light, and even Piper found herself scrambling to get clear. All of a sudden, the wood was burning all around them, and she could hardly see anything through the smoke. What the hell was happening? She grabbed hers and Solo’s bags and stumbled away from the balcony, coughing poisonous smoke out of her lungs. For sure, Solo could fight, but this was _insane_. Was she even still alive down there?

Once she had her back pressed to a wall and could breathe once again, Piper reached into Solo’s bag and began shuffling around, grimacing in satisfaction when she felt something rounded against her palm: a fragmentation grenade. She yanked it out and then scrambled on her hands and knees towards the railing again, shoving someone out of her way as they were reloading their gun.

The sight below her was hellish: fires glowed all over the courtyard, and among them were reptilian creatures that seemed to glow themselves. They had teeth and claws about as long as her forearms, and the odd glassy-eyed look of Commonwealth fish. Piper pulled the pin off the grenade, yelling a warning, and then tossed it right into the fray at one of the creatures. It struck its flank, bouncing to the side, and then exploded a moment later – several of the monsters were engulfed in a ball of fire. The others just roared and pounced at the wall, more fire exploding against the wood.

“Piper! Throw another!” a distant voice yelled. In surprise, Piper recognized it as Solo’s; the woman was grappling with one of the creatures, on the ground with its claws on top of her. She was slicing at it with her knife, but to no avail. A few seconds, and she’d be dead.

Piper threw herself at Solo’s bag once more and desperately reached for another grenade, already pulling the pin before she even turned around – again, she tossed it as hard as she could into the fight, close enough to Solo’s assailant to distract it. The beast roared, singed by the explosion, and Solo managed to kick it off of her – it rolled to the side and she shoved her knife brutally into one of its eye sockets. It screamed, collapsing to the ground, and Solo’s faced flickered with momentary satisfaction, but Piper could see she was injured; she could hardly climb to her feet. Of the survivors behind her, only two were still alive.

Like a flood, the gates of Far Harbor unexpectedly swung open down below and dozens of people spilled out into the courtyard – men and women with powerful rifles and machine guns. They drove the monsters back, forming a protective circle around Solo and the survivors. Piper saw Allen and the woman called the Mariner among them, shouting orders. Most of the monsters, while still pelting balls of fire, had fallen back beyond the wall. There was snarling and roaring, but there wasn’t much they could do to fight back against a whole city of angry people. A few of them turned tail and disappeared back into the fog; some of them simply collapsed, filled with lead.

Eventually, they were all gone.


	7. Old Longfellow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their arrival in Far Harbor, Piper and Solo search for a local man named Old Longfellow, the only person willing to guide them through the dangerous Fog to the synth refuge Acadia.

Piper shoved her gun back into its holster, grabbed hers and Solo’s bags, and then shoved her way past Captain Avery and the others as she ran downstairs. Even as she entered the town and found herself in a small haven between the sea and the wall, she paid little attention to the comfort it gave her. It was all lit with orange, flickering with glowing fires and oil lamps. Most of the houses had baskets of flowers and piles of fishing equipment outside, several old house cats sleeping on doorsteps. It was a whole hidden society of fishermen that Piper would have loved to write about, but she didn’t think she’d have the time; not with the welcome she’d gotten.

“Blue!” she snapped, catching sight of the woman limping through the gates. She had the gigantic gun slung over her shoulder, clutching her stomach with one hand and favoring her right foot. Piper dropped the bags and waited for her to approach, reining in her anger.

“What?” Solo asked candidly, stopping in front of her. Her face was flecked with blood and dirt, but her eyes were bright from adrenaline. She definitely looked more excited than hurt.

Piper softened immediately, realizing all of a sudden that Solo had done nothing wrong, even if she was absolutely insane. She hesitated. “You… held your own out there.”

“Did I?”

“Well, you’ve shown me a whole new kinda crazy.” Piper smiled uneasily. “Do you normally pull stunts like that?”

“Not really.” Solo shrugged and then lifted the heavy gun over her head, setting it down carefully on the cobbled road. “Guess I’m a little out of my mind.”

Piper looked her up and down. “You look about ready to topple over.”

“Very perceptive of you.” Solo shifted on her left foot again and then leaned her shoulder against the wall beside them, grimacing. Had that monster sunk its teeth into her? “But I’ll be fine. Nothing a stimpack can’t fix.”

Piper frowned. “You’ve done this before – let me help you out. Here…”

She crouched and began rummaging around in her bag while Solo watched her with a raised eyebrow. When she straightened up, she had two stimpacks in one hand and bottle of Nuka-Cola in the other. “Sit down or something.”

To her surprise, Solo did as she was told, sliding down to sit against the wall. Her eyes were following all the townspeople walking by, but Piper could tell only she had the woman’s attention.

“So… I guess you got a good look at those creatures,” Piper said conversationally, crouching beside her and taking her arm, injecting her with the first stimpack. The woman’s face didn’t change, but she shrugged noncommittally.

“Gulpers and Anglers. Apparently they’re native to this place.”

“Did one of them-”

“Their bite isn’t poisonous,” Solo cut her off. “So I’ll be fine. I just need some rest.”

“Right.” Piper moved the woman’s hand from her abdominal wound and injected the second stimpack there without warning, this time drawing out a slight grimace. For some reason, catching her off guard was pleasing, and Piper decided that was enough punishment for essentially throwing herself into a pit of monsters. Finally, she handed Solo the bottle of Nuka-Cola. “Drink up.”

“Thanks.”

Piper straightened and allowed herself to look around while Solo downed the whole bottle of soda. Captain Avery, Allen and the Mariner were all standing by one of the buildings facing the sea, deep in conversation. They seemed to be the town’s leaders, and Piper hadn’t forgotten that the Captain had promised them something. As soon as Solo had healed and they’d both gotten some rest, they would need her directions to head out to Acadia to find Kasumi. Even now they knew what was out there waiting for them, the missing girl was their top priority.

“You ever seen creatures like those?” Solo asked after a few moments.

Piper shook her head. “Never,” she said softly.

“Huh.” She shook the last few drops of Nuka-Cola out of the bottle and then set it to the side. “I guess it’s more radioactive here. The animals evolved differently.”

“They what?”

“Never mind. I just meant we’re likely to be pretty unprepared for whatever’s out there,” Solo sighed. “This place is nothing like the Commonwealth.”

“Understatement of the century, Blue.”

Finally, Captain Avery seemed to wrap up her conversation with the other two village leaders and walked over to Solo and Piper. Her face was friendly, though Piper could tell she was very much shaken by the attack.

“Now you see what we’re up against,” she said tiredly, coming to a stop in front of them. “The Fog and the creatures it spits out have taken the whole island from my people.” She smiled a little. “You did the hell of a lot to help us today, so you deserve this.”

She held out a small leather pouch that Piper knew must be full of money. Politely, she raised a hand to decline, but Solo took it swiftly before she could speak. She shot her traveling partner a glare, but Solo ignored her, shoving the caps into her bag and climbing to her feet. Of course – yet again another reason why they were so different.

“We were glad to have helped,” Piper said graciously. “Those monsters… I’ve never seen anything like them. If you don’t mind my asking, what _is_ the Fog?”

Captain Avery sighed again. “Where to begin? The Fog’s radioactive, right? But there are pockets of it, the Deep Fog, that are hard fallout. And as deadly as that is, that’s only part of the problem.”

“I’m guessing the creatures are the main issue,” Solo said blandly.

“Exactly,” Captain Avery agreed. “Things live in the Fog. Thrive in it. You think what attacked the Harbor’s bad? There’s far worse further inland.”

“You said before that you’ve lost the whole island,” Piper said, feeling a chill in her bones. “How…?”

“The Fog’s been here forever,” Avery explained. “There’re good years when the Fog recedes and the island’s almost normal. Then there are times when it spreads all over. And people have to cling to any patch of land that’s free from it. For the past… oh, eighty years or so, it’s been getting as bad as it’s ever been. Far Harbor’s one of the only places left that’s safe.”

Piper and Solo exchanged a worried glance, knowing that the journey ahead of them would likely be much harder than they could even imagine. Fleetingly, Piper thought of Nat and their final farewell. She’d promised that she’d be back soon, but she was no longer certain that would be the case. As usual, she’d thrown herself into something way over her head.

“If you managed to survive despite all that, you must be tough,” Solo said.

Captain Avery chuckled. “Ornery, more like. I just-”

“I’m done cowering behind your damned Hull, Avery!” an angry male voice snapped, cutting her off. “Time you let me deal with the real problem!”

Everyone nearby glanced towards Allen, who was glowering at them with all the fury he could muster. It seemed his conversation with the Captain was not yet finished.

“With the right people and my guns, I can end those Children of Atom cultists for good,” he said.

There was a rise of agreement in the crowd around them, but Avery only shook her head wearily. “The Fog’s been here forever. The Children didn’t make it.”

Piper felt an overwhelming wave of recognition as she realized that, _of course,_ the Children of Atom were involved in this somehow. She’d come head to head with them enough times in the past to know that they often only meant trouble.

“Before the rad eaters came, the Fog was under control,” Allen growled. “They come and it all goes wrong. It’s time we do something!”

Captain Avery’s voice took on an edge of steel. “No need to burden the strangers with all this… nonsense.”

“Have the Children actually made the Fog worse?” Solo asked curiously.

“Absolutely not,” Avery said hurriedly. “There’s not one bit of evidence.”

“Geiger counters don’t lie, Avery,” Allen growled.

Her eyes narrowed. “You know as well as I do that the Fog’s _always_ been like this. Sure, people have theories that the Children are involved, but no one – and I mean no one – has proof.”

Piper was busy listening to their conversation and trying to commit as much of it to memory as possible – could these island politics possibly be something Commonwealth readers would like? Solo, meanwhile, had had enough. “Can we… get back to business?” she asked pointedly, shooting Allen a glare.

Captain Avery turned back to them. “I’m sorry for all that. And yes… you’re headed for Acadia, right? Getting there will be dangerous – you’ll need a guide, no doubt. Old Longfellow normally takes these sorts of jobs.”

Solo frowned. “Who?”

“No one knows the Fog quite like him,” Avery said. “But, word of warning, he’s a bit of an acquired taste.”

“What’s his story?” Piper inquired. He certainly sounded like someone out of a storybook.

“He’s the best hunter on the island. Fearless, some say crazy. If someone needs to get to Acadia, he’s the only one that’ll do it. People around here are known for being stubborn, willful, and other… less flattering things. Old Longfellow’s got a reputation even among us. Keep that in mind.”

“Thanks for the info,” Piper said politely.

Captain Avery nodded. “Best place to look for Longfellow’s at the bar. The Last Plank. You can also rent rooms there if you feel you need to rest up.” She paused, hesitating as she looked over Solo’s slightly stooped form, and then added, “Please, lend a hand around town if you’re able. Even if it’s slapped away, people like the Mariner and Cassie and others need help.”

Solo’s expression made it pretty obvious that she wasn’t interested in helping the locals with anything, but she nodded all the same. She extended a hand, and Avery shook it a little tentatively. Piper did the same without hesitation, feeling they at least had more understanding of where they were going. All she needed was a little bit of shut-eye, and then she’d be ready to follow this story wherever it went.

“Thanks again for all your help,” the Captain said. “It’s not often we get mainlanders like you coming through.”

“No problem. And… we’ll lend a hand where we can,” Piper responded.

They exchanged their parting nods, and then Piper and Solo both reached for their bags and headed towards the bar Captain Avery had mentioned. The Last Plank, as it was called, was situated ironically at the very end of the boardwalk, on the other side of the small town. Piper and Solo made it there under the scrutiny of pretty much every Far Harbor citizen and were glad to escape inside.

The bar didn’t look like much – a typical saloon made from rotting wood, with old jazz tunes playing on the jukebox. The windows were smudged from the fog outside, but the sea could be seen dimly through them; choppy waves being thrown to and fro by the wind. Piper suspected it was about three in the morning from the level of darkness outside, and found that the glowing lanterns inside the bar only made her want to sleep even more. As she stifled a yawn, Solo glanced over at her.

“Tired?”

“We should look for Old Longfellow,” Piper muttered.

Solo shook her head firmly. “We both need to rest up. Wait here – I’ll buy us a room.”

She dropped her bag nearly on Piper’s foot and then sauntered over to the bar to greet the owner. Piper sighed and glanced around, seeing several men with their heads in their hands, snoring away the alcohol. There was a lady in a flannel shirt mopping the floors, and she looked friendly, so Piper beckoned her over.

“Hey, my friend and I were looking for someone, and we were told he’d be in here. His name’s Old Longfellow.”

The lady nodded slowly, eyeing her. “You got a name?”

“Oh – Piper. Piper Wright.”

The lady sucked her cheeks in and then smiled, though she looked more like she was chewing on a lemon. “I’m Debby. Barman over there’s Mitch. We run this place, and we like to avoid… scuffles of any kind. You get me?”

Piper blinked for a long moment, not understanding. “I mean… yeah. Sure. But we’re just looking for-”

“Old Longfellow has plenty of disagreements,” Debby said. “If you’re looking to settle somethin’ with him, maybe do it elsewhere.”

“Oh, no – I meant we’re looking for a guide,” Piper said quickly.

“Ah.” Debby smiled for real this time. “I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. It’s… been a long night.”

“That it has.”

Debby set her mop against one of the tables and then glanced at an old Nuka-Cola clock on one wall. “Longfellow comes in pretty much every night and leaves before the Fog sets in, so… if you come back later today you might just run into him.”

“Does he not live here?”

“Oh, no.” Debby shook her head. “He lives outside of town, in a cabin somewhere in the Fog. If that ain’t enough to tell you he’s crazy, I don’t know what is.”

Piper smiled. “Well, he seems pretty brave to me.”

“You could say that.” Debby picked up her mop again. “Anything else you needed, hon?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for your help.”

“No problem.” The woman moved away to clean the other side of the bar, and Piper suddenly found that Solo was standing next to her. The woman was staring after Debby with an unreadable expression, a set of keys dangling from one hand.

“Jesus, Blue, could you please move a little less like a ghost?” Piper muttered.

“Old Longfellow?” Solo questioned.

Piper nodded. “Apparently he comes in here every night. We’ll have to wait.”

“Perfect.” Solo reached for her hand and then set the keys in them, closing her fingers around them. “Head on up.”

Piper frowned at her. “Where are you going?”

“Nowhere. I just figured I needed time to myself.”

Piper didn’t see anything wrong with that, so she grabbed her own bag and climbed the set of creaky stairs to the second floor alone. Several of the rooms were already fully booked – she could hear children crying in one of them, and a full-fledged argument in another. The scene almost reminded her of Dugout Inn back in Diamond City.

Not that she felt homesick. Of course not.

Their room was actually quite pleasant – it was small, with two single beds and several nets hanging over the windows. It smelled a little like sea salt and lavender, and the wooden floor was thickly carpeted with musty red fabric. Piper set her bag down on one of the beds and then sat next to it, breathing out a sigh of relief as she gave her legs a rest. With the door closed, it was much quieter, and she could even hear herself think.

Piper pulled a notepad and pencil out of her bag and rolled onto her stomach so that some of the light from outside could illuminate the paper. Just a diary for now, and then when she returned home she could transform it into a story. She’d already written about her exploration of the Nakano household and everything she and Solo had found. She’d even included an excerpt from Kasumi’s Final Holotape in quotation marks. While Solo was downstairs probably drinking alone, Piper spent an hour just scribbling away in the notebook, writing about the stormy boat journey, their entrance into the mist, their arrival at Far Harbor…

She’d only just reached the part where Solo threw herself off a wall to save the locals when the woman herself strode through the door and came to a sudden stop, staring at Piper. “You not sleeping?” she asked, seeming a little surprised.

Piper yawned and stretched, rolling so she was facing the ceiling with her arms above her head. “Very perceptive of you.”

Solo didn’t seem pleased that she’d echoed her words from earlier. “Funny.”

“I wanted to keep track of everything that’s happened,” Piper clarified, raising her notebook. “So I’m writing.”

“Hmm.” Solo set her own bag down and started getting ready for bed, removing one piece of armor at a time.

Considering she’d made it out of danger enough times not to need it, Piper had never bothered with armor. It seemed like a little too much work. But then again… there was something awe-inspiring about someone who wore armor. Only soldiers and guards had the privilege of the best protection, and Piper had sometimes wondered what it would be like to be one of them.

“So, whaddya think, Blue?” Piper asked. She sat up, continuing to watch as Solo stripped down to her BOS uniform and removed the grey-knit cap from her head. The woman hardly glanced over, sitting down on her own mattress and running her fingers through her bleached white hair.

“About what?”

“About Far Harbor, the case, those creatures, the Children of Atom… everything, I guess.”

Solo finally glanced up at her, a flicker of a smile crossing her face. “I think we’ll be here for a while.”

Piper sighed. “Me too.”

“What about you? What do you think about all this?” Solo questioned curiously. “Anything I should expect to see in the next issue?”

Piper took off her press cap and placed it on the nightstand. “Well… I’d say a lot of the things on this island are real bad for tourism. Something tells me I shouldn’t make light of it as a honeymooning spot.”

Solo smiled wider. “Maybe not.”

“Then again, if Far Harbor’s going to start a war with the Children of Atom, that’d be fire in the papers,” Piper said animatedly. “No one likes those crazy folk anyway. And Acadia – this synth refuge – imagine how many heads _that_ would turn-”

“But Kasumi comes first. We’re on a case, remember?” Solo reminded her.

Piper rolled her eyes. “I’m not exactly gonna forget, Blue. I haven’t had this much excitement in ages.”

“Well,” Solo muttered. “I could personally do without it.”

“We can switch places some time,” Piper said with a wink. “You can play the nosy snoop who people either want to avoid or shoot at, and I can be the fanatic Brotherhood soldier who saved the Commonwealth.”

Solo raised her eyebrows. “Wow. You’ve got it well thought-out.”

“Uh-huh.” Piper laid down again, still smiling.

“Except I’m not a fanatic.”

“Right,” Piper said sarcastically. “And I’m not a snoop.”

Solo sighed. “Look, I’ve done things that made me question my morality, things that I regret, but my beliefs have never fully aligned with the Brotherhood’s. It was my fear that they were starting to that made me leave them in the first place.”

Piper, surprised at her abrupt truthfulness, pushed herself up on one elbow. “That’s… fair enough, Blue. I was just kidding, you know.”

Solo laid down too, on her back with her arms by her sides. Piper couldn’t quite see her face from here, but she could imagine the tense expression. “Right. I guess I’m not very good with humor anymore.”

Anymore? Oh, boy. Piper hadn’t realized she’d struck a nerve, and now she had no idea how to backpedal. As usual, here she was saying the wrong thing.

“I’ve got enough for the both of us,” she said lightly. “I bet it’ll be one of the things you find most annoying about me somewhere down the road.”

To her surprise, Solo simply glanced over and then said, “Don’t think so.”

“Well…” Piper hesitated. “That’s real sweet of you, Blue.”

Solo didn’t reply to that, and Piper wondered if she’d embarrassed her. She was incredibly hard to read, which Piper found partly irritating and partly endearing. Normally she could read just about anyone, so a woman this mysterious was a welcome challenge. Someday she would crack her.

Piper tucked the pillow under her head and tried to relax into her motheaten mattress, closing her eyes. Outside, she could hear a bizarre cacophony of angry voices and soothing jazz music playing in the bar downstairs. Beyond the window was the rushing wind and the sea lapping at the dock, making the wood creak. Even crows and seagulls could be heard in the distance, cawing and screeching as they dove for fish. The town was alive and unfamiliar, and weirdly enough, Piper found she quite liked it.

She’d left her coat and scarf on, as the room didn’t do much to keep out the cold – nevertheless, she was shivering until she finally managed to get to sleep. And it was a restless one at that.

 ---

At about three in the afternoon, Piper and Solo awoke, packed their bags, and headed down to the bar for some food. Mitch, the barman, seemed to enjoy giving them things for free – they got plates of the catch of the day, bread and butter, and some sweetcorn soup. For the first time in a long time, Solo felt full to the brim.

It was still very cold out, even though it had passed midday, and the skies outside were grey and misty. The lack of sun definitely explained why everyone around here looked so clammy. How did things even grow?

Now that there was a little more light, Solo could actually see the inside of the bar properly. Years of salty air had reduced the once sunshine-yellow walls to an eroded milky colour, and they were rough and pitted to the touch. With each breath, Solo could taste the sea even though she was indoors – fresh brine mixed in with the cold. And then there were the sounds: the creaking of fishing boats and the boardwalk outside, and the cries of the gulls perched on the dock. Even the sound of a blacksmith battering away, building new weapons, and the cheery voices of harbormen working outdoors were like music to Solo’s ears. She felt like she’d been sent back centuries into the past.

Piper looked exhausted, though there was an animated shine to her eyes that told of her excitement for their journey ahead. Solo had come to the conclusion that she was a little crazy. When she’d confronted her about her willingness to leap into danger, Piper’s response had been, “Well, I never thought a reporter could consider themselves a success until someone'd threatened their life. Me? I'm very successful.”

Solo wondered if she’d ever hear any of those success stories. Hopefully sometime before they were both dead.

While Piper finished writing about their adventure so far in her notebook, Solo went for a walk around Far Harbor. The sea was much calmer now, and most of the people were at work, either fishing or working in various stalls. Allen was unsurprisingly in charge of the armory – he offered Solo only a terse nod as she passed, and she didn’t bother to return it. Her gut told her he wasn’t someone to be trusted. The Mariner owned a small wooden house next to the courtyard, and it was filled with tools and scraps of building material. Solo gave her wave, but didn’t want to intrude on her privacy.

There was also a small clinic, a general store, and an open area beside The Last Plank that was filled with sleeping bags for those who couldn’t afford or fit into the homes. The whole place definitely looked temporary, and Solo wondered when the Fog would eventually drive all of them to the Commonwealth for good.

Solo returned to the bar when it was closing in on five in the afternoon, and plenty of fishermen were sitting in the booths eating dinner. None of them looked much like the description of Old Longfellow that Mitch had given them. It seemed they would have to wait yet another hour.

Piper was still at the bar, though now she was nursing a beer and keeping up a conversation with some strangers. As Solo approached, she heard snatches of their conversation:

“…I should take some of this to the Dugout Inn. It'd be better than what they're selling now.”

“Is that right?” a bulky-looking man replied. He grinned. “I can think of worse places to get a drink.”

“Really?” Piper shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”

Mitch spoke up: “Well hey, if you're unhappy hanging out with your crew, you could always work for me. Good pay and all the free drinks you can handle.”

Piper looked impressed. “No kidding, Mitch. That’s a nice offer.”

He leaned across the bar towards her, his manner distinctly flirtatious. “Nothing but the best for someone as lovely as you, my dear.”

Solo cleared her throat, pleased when the conversation broke up and Mitch went to serve some other customers. Piper turned to her. “Hey, Blue. How about a drink?”

Solo shook her head, still tingling a little bit from her reaction to Mitch’s flirting manner. “It’s probably best at least one of us stays sober.”

Piper smiled wryly. “Fine.”

“Have you seen our man?”

“He hasn’t shown,” she replied. “Though I’ve heard plenty about how crazy he is.”

Solo sighed. “That’s reassuring.”

“I know. Anything interesting going on outside?”

“Not really.” Solo took a seat on the stool beside her and switched idly through the tabs on her Pip-Boy. “Unless you count the cat that threw itself into the ocean. This place is so depressing that even the animals commit suicide.”

Piper muffled a laugh, looking a little guilty for finding that so funny. “Blue, that’s terrible.”

“Sorry.” Solo smiled at her laughter. “Anyway, do you-”

Piper glanced past her and suddenly froze. “I think that’s him!”

“Who?” Solo stared over her shoulder, hearing the bar’s door shut, and saw an old man in a long black coat stomping mud off his boots. He looked as wrinkled and leather-faced as most of the village did, and even from here his eyes looked exactly like the sea – the same stormy grey. To her relief, he didn’t look crazy at all, just tired and weathered.

He walked past the booths, nodded his hellos to Debby and Mitch, and then took a seat in the very corner of the bar. Solo and Piper quickly exchanged a look.

“Let’s go.”

They grabbed their bags and hurried over to his table, seeing his face close up the moment they approached. He frowned at them.

“Can I help you?”

“Are you Old Longfellow?” Piper asked hesitantly.

“That’s me.”

“Captain Avery said you can get us to Acadia,” Solo said. “Can you?”

Old Longfellow took a deep breath, sitting back so far in his chair that it creaked. Looking them up and down, he muttered, “Heard there was a scuffle out there last night. You get your hands dirty?” He let out a dry chuckle. “I’m done leadin’ people to their deaths in the Fog. Last fella couldn’t keep up. Didn’t last five minutes.”

Solo smiled tightly. “I've done a whole lot more for a whole lot less.”

“Clever with words, are ya?” He sighed. “If you need me, then we do this my way. One bottle of whiskey.”

Solo frowned at him. “Can’t I just pay you?”

“Keep your caps. If you're set on doin' this, I'll take my pay in whiskey. The bartender, Mitch, sells it. Grab me a flask, and then we'll see about getting' you to Acadia alive.”

Solo was about to protest, but Piper butted in: “Some parents are worried about their runaway daughter. She went to Acadia and we need to find her. This girl's all her family has. You'd have to be a real wretch not to give a damn.”

His eyes landed on Piper’s face now, searching it curiously. “Some mainlander family ain't no affair of mine.”

“If that girl's in some kind of trouble, time could be running out. We need your help,” Piper implored. “Her name is Kasumi – have you heard of her?”

“Maybe I heard of her, maybe not,” he muttered gruffly, though he avoided her eyes.

Piper tried again: “We helped the Harbor out. I figure all of you owe us something, at least.”

Now, he did seem partly lost for words. The old man rubbed a hand over his face and pressed it into his jaw, closing his eyes for a moment. “Hmm. I suppose there's a bit of truth there…”

“I heard that you live out there anyway,” Piper continued. “Give us directions through the Fog, give us some pointers, and we’ll leave you alone.”

His eyes opened and landed on Piper again, thoughtful. “This goes against my better judgement...” He trailed off, looking between them. “Fine. I can get you to Acadia, but you've got to listen to me. Go where I say. When I say it. Got that?”

Piper shot Solo a self-satisfied look, and Solo couldn’t help but shake her head in disbelief. The woman really did have the gift of gab.

“Got it,” Piper said gleefully. “Is there anything you can tell us about Acadia before we go?”

Old Longfellow nodded. “Strange folk live there. Call themselves synths. Seems to me they just want to be left alone, to live their life in peace. They've done some good turns for us islanders. The Fog Condensers, most especially – wouldn't even be a Far Harbor left without those.”

“Fog Condensers?” Solo inquired. “What are those?”

“The Condensers are a tricky bit of science. They keep the Fog away, powered by the Wind Farm the synth fellas got up and running. Us islanders don't particularly like being obligated to them, but there you have it.”

Piper cleared her throat. “And… uh, you’re sure these synths are peaceful? You don’t think they could be connected to the Institute somehow?”

Old Longfellow looked surprised, eyes widening. “The synths up at Acadia haven't done anythin' wrong. They keep to themselves, like I said.”

“Huh.” Piper nodded, not convinced. “All right. Well… when can we leave?”

“You stock up on your necessities, Rad-X and the like. Then the real work can begin.”

“What if our necessities are already handled?” Solo asked smoothly.

Old Longfellow fixed her with a knowing look. “There’s worse than Mirelurks out there. Deep Fog has all manner of nasties. You sure you got the stimpacks, ammo and rockets to handle it?”

Solo glanced at Piper. “I’m sure. We’re not arrogant, just prepared. This is a journey we were expecting to take.”

Old Longfellow released a world-weary sigh. “In that case, we’ll leave after I’ve gotten my whiskey. Wait here.”

He climbed to his feet and shuffled past them towards the bar to greet Mitch. Solo turned to Piper. “Are you ready for this?”

“As I’ll ever be. What d’you think we’ll find out there?”

Solo rolled her eyes. “The stuff of nightmares, apparently. Though I’m sure it won’t be much worse than our welcoming party of mutant beasts.”

Piper’s fingers hovered over her trusty 10mm pistol, and Solo thoughtfully reminded herself to keep Piper behind her throughout the journey – that gun wouldn’t do much to protect her. She’d have to keep an eye out for the both of them. As long as they got to Acadia in one piece and then found Kasumi, Solo wouldn’t have to regret a single thing.

Old Longfellow returned to them with a bottle of opened whiskey in his hand and took a long swig. His eyes were bloodshot, and he hardly looked like he’d be standing for much longer, but Solo had already realized that he was their only chance of getting through the Fog alive. Her level of confidence had declined the longer they’d spoken to him.

“Keep your guard up, and don’t stray too far,” he told them. “We’ll be traveling in the darkness, so I hope you’re ready for some nasty surprises.”

Solo was a little tired of his fear-mongering. She sighed irritably, loud enough for him to hear. “Any other quick tips, old man?”

Piper gave her a warning look, as if to reprimand her for her lack of diplomacy.

Old Longfellow’s eyes narrowed, sizing her up. “You want to make this a one-way trip? Then, by all means, ignore me. I’m just trying to keep you both alive.”

Piper cleared her throat. “We… should go.”

“Sure.” He buttoned up his coat, tucking the liquor bottle beneath his arm. “No time like the present.”


	8. Into The Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old Longfellow leads both travelers through the dangers of the Fog towards Acadia. Piper battles with a feeling of uselessness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, it's been a little while since I last updated, so I apologize! There should be one or two more updates this coming week, so watch out for those. Thanks for reading thus far, and I hope you're all enjoying the story.

“Acadia’s above the Fog line on the mountain,” Old Longfellow rumbled, lighting the way with a torch in his hand. “It’s a bit of a hike.”

Piper frowned, gazing into the thick mist surrounding them on all sides. As usual, it prevented her from seeing much beyond a few feet, and was home many foreign shapes and sounds which had her constantly on edge. She’d expected the Fog to make the night even darker, but instead it glowed eerily with its own light – the typical greenish luminosity of radiation. “The mountain?”

He chuckled a little. “You can see it on the clearer days, when the sun actually gets through those clouds.” All of a sudden, he stopped walking and dug through his pockets. “Here – you might want this for the road. Tastes foul as sin, but it’ll help.”

Piper took the small bag of jerky from him, wondering what it was made of but grateful all the same. “Thanks,” she said, a little surprised.

“No problem.” He glanced over his shoulder, frowning at Solo, who was far ahead of them and surrounded by the sickly green glow of her Pip-Boy. She hadn’t spoken once since they left Far Harbor, apparently preferring to stick to the silence of the Fog. While Piper would have liked to write it off as just another charming aspect of her character, she had a feeling it was something to do with Old Longfellow. Solo hadn’t seemed to like him or trust him at all.

“Your friend normally so broody?” Old Longfellow asked.

“Uh…” Piper cleared her throat, beckoning for him to continue walking again as Solo shot them a glare. “Yeah.”

Old Longfellow shook his head, flashing his torch at the buildings around them. All was silent apart from the distant hum of Fog Condensers and mutant bats circling the trees. It was a thick, heavy sort of silence that made Piper feel inexplicably alone.

“We need to move out of this main drag,” Old Longfellow explained. “Old mountain trail is where we’re headed.” He tugged at the collar of his coat. “Fog here ain’t like nothing you’ve seen in the Commonwealth. Mainlanders think a dose of RadAway’s all you need…” He chuckled like this was the funniest thing he’d ever heard himself say, gesturing at the thicker clouds of mist up ahead. “Little do they know…”

“What do you mean?” Piper inquired. “The Commonwealth medicine doesn’t protect us from radiation here?”

“Hardly. Though… if you’re lucky, you’ll be killed by somethin’ else on this island before the radiation gets to you.”

Piper only arched an eyebrow at that. “Doesn’t sound so lucky to me.”

Without warning, Old Longfellow stopped again and shone his torch on the cracked asphalt at his feet. He crouched, hunching his shoulders against the frigid breeze, and hovered a finger over something imprinted in the mud. “Tell your friend to get back here,” he muttered, an edge of steel in his voice.

“What?”

“Tracks. Fresh ones. Trappers ahead.” He straightened up, now completely serious. “Call your friend back before she gets a harpoon in her skull.”

Piper hesitated, worried, and then hissed, “Blue!”

The white-haired woman turned back towards them, the green Pip-Boy glow seeming to warp her features. She was frowning for sure. “Keep your voice down!” she muttered.

“But there are-”

“I know!” Solo lifted her pistol so she could see. She must have noticed the enemies up ahead, too – it was just Piper who was completely unprepared for what was around the corner.

Old Longfellow seemed pleasantly surprised. “Not arrogant, just prepared, eh? You weren’t kidding.”

“We’re-”

“When the bullets start flyin’, find cover. Keep your head down if you want to live.”

Piper frowned, feeling suddenly like she was very useless. “This isn’t my first fight.”

“These’re your first Trappers.” He drew his hunting rifle, the polished barrel glimmering in the half-light, and delivered Piper a warning look. “Stay back.”

And then he was off, running towards Solo and the enemies beyond.

Piper ducked behind the rusted metal shell of a car, unholstering her pistol and waiting keenly for the fighting to start. She could pick people off while they were being distracted by Solo and Old Longfellow, but she didn’t think she would be able to do much up close. Not unless she had a bigger and more destructive weapon.

It was pretty clear now, between she and Solo, who had which essential job. Solo was the muscle, and she was the brains. So far, it was achingly apparent that the brains weren’t exactly needed, which was a sobering thought now that she found herself faced with yet more danger in a completely foreign place.

The gunfire started without warning, and Piper recognized the controlled laser bursts of Solo’s gun far ahead. The shouts she heard were from gruff men who she assumed were the “Trappers”. For some reason, she’d expected to be facing some sort of monster. Perhaps this island wasn’t too different from the Commonwealth, after all.

Piper drew in a deep breath, tightening her finger on the trigger of her pistol, and then ducked around the car. Through the Fog, she could see her traveling companions grappling with the enemy; men wearing rags and nets, fishing clothes, carrying spears and hooks as weapons. One man, standing within the confines of a small wooden hut, had a gigantic gun over one shoulder, and he was aiming it at Solo.

Piper shot without thinking, aiming at him. Her bullets didn’t make contact, but they definitely drew his attention away from Solo – he turned, the gun now levelled in Piper’s direction, though she doubted he could see her properly through the Fog. There was a loud _pop!_ noise, and Piper instinctively dove to the side. Something large and long shot by her and smashed through the metal of the car, digging into the frame. Piper stared at it in shock, realizing she’d very narrowly escaped from being impaled by a foot-long spear. The man was reloading now, and Piper realized that he did in fact know where she was – next time, he may not miss.

Again, she opened fire, aiming at him and emptying out her chamber. He dodged out of the way, hiding behind a pillar, and Piper cursed loudly. She needed to get closer.

Dropping to her knees, she ducked behind a pile of crates and nets and reloaded her pistol with a new magazine, waiting for her adrenaline to overcome her anxiety. She could hear Solo and Old Longfellow still clearing out the Trappers beyond the wooden hut, and wondered if they even knew the harpooner was there. There seemed to be a lot of these raider-like fishermen… who even were they? Exiles from Far Harbor? Hostile locals who didn’t mind the Fog?

Piper threw herself out from behind cover and began running towards the hut, firing blindly as she did. Again, the Trapper with the gigantic gun ducked out of the way, and she realized she was just wasting her bullets. She stopped running but kept her pistol levelled in his direction, trusting that no other Trappers would try to take a shot at her while she dealt with him.

“Die, bitch!” the man yelled, though she thought she detected a note of apprehension in his voice. He didn’t edge back into view.

“Well, you're all bravado, no brains, aren't ya?” Piper shot back, feeling confident that she had the upper hand. She accompanied her words with some more fire, beginning to approach the hut again.

The man momentarily ducked out to see where she was and received a bullet straight in the shoulder; he grunted in pain and returned to his hiding spot, yelling another obscenity. At least she was keeping him contained for now, so Solo or Old Longfellow could deal with him once they were done with the rest of his friends.

Too soon, Piper ran out of bullets again, and there was nowhere nearby she could take cover. The moment the continuous volley stopped, her opponent seemed to realize she was down; Piper suddenly found herself staring down the barrel of a very large, very lethal gun. It wasn’t the first time, but her stomach dropped like it was the last.

 _Shit_.

The man’s yellow grin flashed before her, eyes narrowing as he squeezed the trigger. There was another loud _pop!_ and Piper threw herself hard to the ground as the spear flew at her from close range. It missed her by hairs, scraping her leg as it passed, and she gasped a little at the pain. But she was up the moment she realized she’d survived the shot, running – well, limping – as fast as she could towards the hut so she could flatten herself against the wall, out of view. With shaky hands, she reloaded her pistol again, grimacing at the throbbing pain in her leg. She didn’t dare to look down and see what the spear had done to her – she wanted to be safe first.

Another loud _pop!_ and the wall of the hut exploded in splinters of wood, making her stumble frantically out of the way again. The spear had almost pierced her shoulder, but the Trapper thankfully had terrible aim. She brought her pistol up and began firing wildly again, hearing a resounding yelp as she caught her opponent. She also thought she heard a loud crash as the harpoon gun fell to the floor, but she couldn’t be sure.

“Piper!” Solo shouted.

Piper turned just in time to see the same Trapper leaping at her out of the hut with a knife glinting in his hand. She shifted enough that her bullets flew wide and in his direction, but they didn’t stop him – he threw himself at her with a murderous yell, and she tumbled to the ground with him on top of her. The knife had been caught between her elbow and her waist, but he jerked it free instantly. Piper gasped, stunned and pinned by his weight, and instinctively flinched away as he brought the blade down towards her neck.

In the next second, he was sent flying as a boot struck him hard in the ribs. Solo followed through, stepping over Piper and brutally grabbing the man by the back of the neck, dragging him so that he was pressed against one wall of the hut. He gasped and struggled, already bleeding from multiple bullet wounds, hissing out insults – Piper, still wheezing, rolled over onto her belly and grabbed quickly for her fallen gun. From where she lay, she aimed with shaking hands and pressed the trigger, shooting him twice.

He went silent, dead, and Solo let go of his neck so he could crumple to the ground. After a short pause of surprise, she tucked the knife she was prepared to stab him with back into her boot.

Piper climbed to her feet, still a little bit in shock, feeling her adrenaline leave her body rapidly. She’d very often been close to death, but it had been a while since she’d been that close. Would she have made it back to Nat alive had Solo not been there?

Solo turned to Piper, looking her up and down critically. “Nice shot. Are you alright?”

“Didn’t know when to quit, did they?”

Solo’s smile was fleeting. “You did pretty well.”

“Thanks. And… thanks for saving me there,” Piper said, a little awkwardly. “Should’ve stayed out of the way.”

“If you did, I’d be dead,” Solo pointed out. “You got that harpooner off me.”

Piper hadn’t realized she’d noticed. She straightened her shoulders slightly, feeling proud, remembering it wasn’t often that Solo gave her such praise.

Old Longfellow trailed his way over, evidently impressed. “Figured I’d have to take care of the lot of them,” he said. “You aren’t half bad in a scrap.” He chuckled, and then gestured to one of the dead Trappers. “See, the Fog can do a number on you. Gets you all turned around. Does something to your brain. Trappers were mean to begin with, but now…”

“They always been around?” Solo questioned curiously.

“As long as us harbormen have,” he affirmed. He kicked at another body and then sighed, glancing up at the sky. “Anyway, we should keep moving. Maybe deal with that wounded leg first, though. The danger is far from over.”

Both Piper and Solo glanced down, and Piper winced a little as she saw the blood soaking her thigh. At least the harpoon hadn’t nicked the bone – then she’d need more than just one Stimpack to deal with it.

“Guess it’s my turn to play doctor,” Solo said lightly.

Piper sighed and sat down, deciding not to protest as Solo dug through her bag to find a Stimpack. Old Longfellow sauntered away to make sure all the Trappers were dead, nudging at the bodies with one foot and humming somewhat cheerily under his breath. He was a strange old man, but Piper was starting to like him.

Solo kneeled down in front of her, and Piper was surprised at the delicacy with which she held her leg still, fingers wrapped gently around her upper thigh. Piper flinched despite herself when she felt the needle in her leg, and Solo muttered a quiet apology, squeezing her reassuringly – a touch that somehow made her head spin.

“T-thanks, Blue,” Piper said, feeling her cheeks heat.

Solo glanced up at her, grey eyes soft, and then drew away to toss the empty Stimpack on the ground. “Guess we’re even.”

She stood and held out a hand. Piper took it, managing to banish the blush from her cheeks, and sighed as she felt soothing heat flowing through her veins. It almost felt as if she hadn’t been shot at all.

“I'd kiss the man who invented Stims,” she remarked gratefully.

Solo raised an eyebrow, amused. “How d’you know it was a man?”

“Either way works fine.”

There was an odd look on Solo’s face that Piper couldn’t quite read – she didn’t entirely want to find out what it meant, actually. She turned back to look for Old Longfellow over her shoulder. “We should get going.”

 ---

It didn’t take long until the three of them were forced to face down ghouls, more Trappers, a pack of growling wolves, and two baby Gulpers. Piper strayed behind the other two this time, feeling she needed more time to recover from their first battle. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for this after all – she often fared better in front of a computer terminal than enemies, even though she had an alarming love for danger.

The sky eventually began to lighten, and they began heading uphill, avoiding the thick patches of Fog that made Solo’s Geiger counter click menacingly. The darkness had been replaced with multiple blended tones of rosy pink and sandy yellow, and while the air was still cold, Piper no longer shivered quite so much. The suffocating Fog had lifted slightly, giving them room to breathe, the air delicate and cool against their skin.

Solo seemed pleased enough by the arrival of day to even remove her bomber jacket and knit cap, tucking both away in her bag. Her hair glimmered like silver in the dawn, shining whiter than a new page, and Piper was oddly transfixed by it.

The road kept on getting steeper and steeper, though they encountered less danger the higher they went. Old Longfellow called for a short break once the sun had breached the clouds, and they slowed until they reached a cliff on the mountainside. Here, it seemed they were not alone. A woman was kneeling by the trunk of a tree, praying. Piper recognized the rags she wore and the radiation-thinned hair instantly – she was a child of Atom.

The moment she saw them, she leaped to her feet and snapped, “Hold there!”

Old Longfellow lowered his gun, looking displeased. Solo and Piper kept their guns raised, unsure of what to do, looking to him for some sort of instruction. They were both already aware that the people of Far Harbor had a bone to pick with the Children of Atom, but they didn’t want to get involved if they didn’t have to.

“Stringing two more souls to their damnation, old man?” the woman sneered.

Old Longfellow only frowned. “Well, what have we here? Another rad-worshippin’ lunatic, that’s what.”

The woman’s bloodshot eyes narrowed. “Your barbs do not harm me. I am shielded by my faith.”

“How about bullets? Faith shield ya against those, too?” he muttered back, fingers tightening on his rifle.

“Hey, let’s… settle down, OK?” Piper said quickly.

“You’re right,” Old Longfellow glanced at her. “Waste of ammo.”

“Do not sully this one with your blasphemy, old man,” the woman growled. She turned to Piper and Solo, eyes taking them in hungrily. “You. I suggest you go no further. Acadia is a nest of snakes. Beasts that subvert the will of atom.”

“What’s Acadia done to make you distrust them?” Piper asked curiously.

The woman jabbed a finger at Old Longfellow. “They supply Far Harbor with the means to turn back Atom’s Holy Fog. You would do well to avoid such creatures and instead seek the only true master of this land.”

Solo snorted derisively. “Yeah, whatever you say.”

“Watch yourself, outsider!” the woman hissed. “You walk through Atom’s kingdom now.”

Old Longfellow rolled his eyes. “If you two are done wasting your time with the fanatic, let’s move on.”

“Good idea,” Solo said, shooting the woman a glare.

They left her by the tree, feeling her eyes on their back as they disappeared into the Fog. Piper now knew that there was even more conflict here than she first thought – Far Harbor hated the Children of Atom; the Children of Atom hated the synths of Acadia and pretty much everyone who didn’t worship the Fog; and Acadia certainly seemed to be the center point for most of the conflict happening on the island. Piper wanted to be able to talk to Solo about it, maybe marvel at just how much trouble was brewing in this place, but she had a feeling her traveling partner was stubbornly focused only on the mission. Once they had Kasumi home and the case was closed, Solo wouldn’t even look back, no matter how intriguing this island was. Piper, on the other hand, already felt like this was the adventure of a lifetime three days in, and didn’t know how she’d ever get over it.

“Up ahead the air’s clean,” Old Longfellow told them gruffly. “No Fog. Means Acadia’s not too far now.”

Piper frowned. “So they have the means to drive away the Fog entirely?”

“I’m sure they do.” Old Longfellow shrugged. “But the clean air’s more to do with geography. Higher points mean less Fog. It’s dense, you see, so it sits low, gives way to mountains and such.”

“Then…” Piper was in snooping mode. “Why didn’t the people of Far Harbor just find a mountain to build the town on? Wouldn’t that be safer?”

“Safer?” Old Longfellow chuckled. “No, no… you see, there’s just one mountain on the island. The only reason every hungry creature doesn’t run up here for a taste o’ human flesh is because Acadia has the best defenses I’ve ever seen. Us harbormen have the Hull, and that’s it. We’re better off cornered away from the Fog.”

“Huh.” Piper memorized this, hoping to write it down later whenever she had some time to herself. “And…uh… what about the Children of Atom? Where’re they?”

Old Longfellow glanced at her with a slight twinkle in his eye. “Where d’you think, lady? Rad-eaters’d only want the worst of the Fog.”

“I’m guessing we’ll run into them at some point,” Solo muttered, walking slightly ahead of them.

“If you want to keep your hair and that nice clear skin, I’d avoid it at all costs,” Old Longfellow said. “The worst Fog is on the west of the island. Worst beasts, too.”

Piper had already had her fill of lethal monsters, so she resolved that she would avoid that side of the island at all costs. She had no reason to get involved with the Children ever again.

Through the dawn gloom ahead, Piper spotted a thinning of the trees, the road they were walking on leading right through them towards a very round building. There were other buildings too, though they looked much newer than the one higher up, perched above a winding set of concrete steps. The whole area was surrounded by a wire fence, and there were several men and women dressed in armor patrolling the border.

As they approached, Old Longfellow took the lead and Solo slowed down so she was walking beside Piper. He merely nodded at one of the guards, and they let them pass without interference. None of these people looked like they belonged in the Institute, which made Piper feel considerably calmer. In fact, they looked very normal. Just as normal as the people of Far Harbor. Were they synths too, or did the synths just pay them for their protection?

Old Longfellow led them into the center of the compound, moving with the ease and grace of someone who had been here many times before. He was humming again, nodding contentedly at anyone who passed him, rifle now slung harmlessly over one shoulder. Evidently, in his opinion, they were far away from danger. He stopped by the base of the steps leading up to Acadia and turned to them.

Piper wished now more than ever that she had a camera on her. There were some small huts and fires scattered around within the fence, settlers warming themselves and eating breakfast while the sun came up. Most of them were dressed in armor, but a few only wore shirts and jeans and looked as if they wouldn’t hurt a fly. These were the farmers, maybe – they tended to the lines of crops which were growing to the right of the main building, and took care of the brahmin that lived in a small fenced-in paddock beyond the crops. The fact that these settlers had different jobs set them apart from the usual Commonwealth lot, all of whom learned to farm and shoot a gun so they could feed and defend themselves. Piper wondered how long Acadia had been like this.

“And we’ve arrived,” Old Longfellow said, leaning against one of the railings on the steps. “Acadia’s already been watchin’ us for a good spell. If you want to talk with them, just go inside. They’ll be wating for you.”

Both Piper and Solo glanced over their shoulders, suddenly feeling the familiar chill of being observed without their knowing. Were there cameras? Was it these harmless-looking settlers that Old Longfellow was referring to? Piper swallowed, thinking that she’d seen one of them blankly staring at her a moment earlier.

“Thank you for helping us get here,” she said.

Old Longfellow reached to shake her hand, and then did the same with Solo. He looked rather pleased that his job was done and neither of them were dead. “You need my help again, you come see me. Got a cabin outside of Far Harbor – good place to tool up your gear, get some rest, or get stinkin’ drunk.” He chuckled, as usual having no qualms about laughing alone. “Just make sure you’re bringing a bottle of something’ strong, there’s enough to share.”

“Leaving so soon?” Solo said dryly. “Don’t you want to see what happens next?”

Old Longfellow scratched his beard, peering at her. “You saying you want me to stick around and watch your back?”

Solo cleared her throat, glancing away. “Never mind.”

“Ha! That’s what I thought.” Old Longfellow chuckled again, and then bowed his head. “Good luck finding the girl – I hope she’s alright, for the sake of you making it all the way out here.”

“We’ll find her,” Piper said adamantly. “And… thanks again.”

Old Longfellow nodded and then left them alone. He had his hands in his pockets, a small smile on his face, looking as if he knew something they didn’t. Piper sighed.

“He would’ve been helpful, Blue.”

“Helpful?” Solo frowned. “He’s a drunk old man.”

Piper gave her an exasperated look. “Who knows the island and the people on it better than anybody else!”

“Well…” Solo leaned in close, suddenly looking quite cheery, and Piper automatically tilted back to put a comfortable distance between them. “Maybe we won’t have to be on the island for much longer, huh?”

Piper coughed, looking away. “Sure, Blue. Whatever you say.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” She flashed an even white smile and stepped away, gazing up towards the great round structure heading the steps. “Pretty smart, building a town inside an observatory.”

“A what?” Piper stared up at the building too.

“They were used to watch the sky – the stars,” Solo explained. “Back in my day, anyway. You can open the roof, and there’s a giant telescope inside that helps you see far away. Astronomical stuff, meteorological…” She paused suddenly as she realized she was rambling. “I… I visited one once,” she finished lamely.

Piper grinned at her. “Well, look at you. If you’re trying to impress me, it's working. I've always wanted my own au fait pre-war relic.”

“Smart ass,” Solo muttered, though she was smiling slightly. Tightening the straps of her bag, she began up the stairs, leaving Piper behind. About halfway up, she turned back. “You coming or what? Not like I can do this by myself.”

Piper was both pleased and surprised, deciding not comment as she followed Solo up the steps. Traveling with her really wasn’t so bad after all.


	9. Dangerous Minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper and Solo meet with Acadia's synth leader.

On the inside, the observatory looked nothing like a hidden town. It didn’t even look much like a refuge. Solo glanced around at the rust-stained walls and shelves of crates and metal boxes, papers strewn all over the filthy floor. It wasn’t hospitable in the least, but perhaps that was the synths’ final line of defense against unwelcome guests. Solo supposed they hadn’t bothered fixing the place up after moving in – why should they, after all? As long as it was safe and they had access to food and water, the way their home looked was hardly a valid issue. The lighting was working, at least, fluorescent and white, reflecting off the puddles of water on the floor. And it was much warmer in here than outside, meaning the heating units were in order.

“God,” Piper mused. “Looks like no one's been in here for years. Guess this isn't the scenic route...”

Solo quirked a smile and nodded ahead of them through a wide doorway. It was filled with the flashing lights of computer terminals and strange machines, but it looked rather empty of life right now. Solo had expected either a line of guards with laser rifles or a group of worried-looking ex-Institute scientists waiting for them. Instead, they were greeted with silence.

“Guess we should announce our presence,” she muttered.

Piper followed her as she un-holstered her laser pistol and headed for the computers, walking evenly but carefully, expecting some sort of surprise to be waiting for them. They were finally here – they’d finally reached the mysterious, secretive hideout of the people who had convinced Kasumi to run away from home. No one on the island seemed to know much about them at all, which was worrying. They seemed much more helpful towards the island’s locals than the Institute ever was, but Solo wasn’t sure that was enough proof of their innocence.

As they approached, Piper’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me – is that the telescope you were talking about?”

The computer room was massive, with great rounded walls that reached up to the curved ceiling. A cylindrical slab of metal, outlined with wires and bars, faced the ceiling at a diagonal slant. Solo gazed at it for a long moment before she nodded. “Sure is.”

Piper stared up at the ceiling, head tilting back so far that Solo was worried her neck would snap. When she spoke, she sounded disappointed, “Oh, what I wouldn't give for a camera right now.”

Solo arched an eyebrow. “Really? I’ll get you one for Christmas.”

The other woman, for the first time in a very long time, was completely speechless. Solo hadn’t thought what she said was such a big deal; after all, Piper had been useful on this mission. She had to thank her somehow, right? But Piper looked as if she’d just swallowed a radroach.

After a few moments, she coughed and said, “I-uh… are you joking, or–?”

“You’ve already followed me through hell and high water,” Solo said easily. “Also… your papers would be considerably more interesting with illustrations.”

Piper reached up almost absentmindedly to tuck her hair behind her ears, cheeks turning delightfully pink. “Heh. Thanks, Blue.”

Oh, how Solo loved to make her feel uncomfortable. An embarrassed Piper was even more entertaining than an annoyed one, especially when she seemed so put together most of the time.

A low, emotionless male voice interrupted them, coming from just behind the microscope, and both Piper and Solo flinched and turned towards it, expecting a fight. Instead, they saw a man watching them.

“You know, when I first climbed the mountain, above the Fog, I thought to myself: now here’s a metaphor worth taking in.”

There was a humming noise, followed by several loud clicks, and a metal frame detached from his body, allowing him to step forward into the light. Solo almost felt her vision waver from the intensity of her flashback – the day she’d broken into Vault 114 and killed dozens of triggermen, all to get to one man: Nick Valentine. The moment he had emerged from the light and she’d seen his yellow eyes, she’d known he wasn’t human.

This man, with his plastic plates for skin, wires growing out of his body, and the electric white of his eyes… he looked even less human than Valentine did. Something about their similarity, however, calmed Solo down; she lowered her pistol and stared up at him instead.

“You’ve entered a place of clarity,” he said in his odd flat voice. “Understanding. Peace. While you’re here in Acadia, synth-kind welcomes you, as long as you welcome us.”

“What… are you?” Solo asked cautiously.

“Told you. I’m the old synth on the mountain.” He chuckled, and it sounded so much like Valentine that Solo felt her hairs stand on end. “I know the plastic skin and tubes out the back can be… unsettling, but I want to ask you to look past that. You may call me DiMA. Tell me why you’re here, and I’ll try to help you.”

Solo glanced at Piper, glad to see that she also looked extremely unsettled. She contained herself quickly, fixing her mouth into a smile. “We came here looking for Kasumi Nakano.”

The man’s silicon features shifted slightly. “Really? I’m impressed. Few would brave the kind of journey you’ve had for the sake of someone else. Kasumi is here. She is safe and unharmed, and you’re free to see her, if you’d like.”

Again, Solo and Piper exchanged a glance, unsettled by how smoothly this was going. There was nothing hostile about this synth, and he hadn’t yet given them any reason not to believe that he was telling the truth. Still… Solo knew better than to trust a synth.

“Before you do, though, tell me… do you think Kasumi is synth?”

That had them stumped. Solo opened her mouth to answer, and then thought better of it. Neither she or Piper had wanted to jump to conclusions about Kasumi’s holotape or the things her parents were saying. Both of them had experienced the replacement of someone they knew with a synth, a robotic model with all of their memories. Both of them knew how similar synths were to real people, and how hard it was to tell the difference.

So was Kasumi a synth? It was very likely, especially considering her dreams. But for the sake of Solo’s Brotherhood background and her desire to return Kasumi home safely, she preferred not to entertain the idea.

“We’re… not answering anymore questions until you play straight with us,” Solo said instead. “We know for sure there’s only one synth with that kind of face and a mind of his own, and he’s a detective in Diamond City.”

The white eyes widened, and Solo was faced with an expression of vivid astonishment. “Nick Valentine? It can’t be…”

Solo blinked. “How the hell do you know-”

“Is this a joke?” Piper demanded. “Do you really know Nicky?”

And if he did… why wouldn’t Nick have told them before they followed this case? Why had they never heard about this other synth?

“Let me tell you what I know, and you can judge for yourself,” DiMA said calmly. “Nick and I were prototypes. The first synths capable of independent thinking and judgement.”

“Keep talking,” Solo said tersely.

“One of the Institute’s experiments had to do with how our brains could process personality. If we could handle invidualized feelings and behaviors. I was allowed to develop mine based on experience, but with Nick they wanted to try transferring an entire personality.” His face crumpled a little with sadness. “It took several attempts before the personality imprint worked. I saw him wake up not knowing who or what he was many times… and I couldn’t let them do it to him anymore. We were the only two prototypes they made. I literally saw myself in him. Nick was my brother. I helped him escape the Institute.”

Solo just stared at him, not sure what to say or do. How was it possible they’d come all the way out here, risking their lives for a seemingly miniscule case, and now were faced with something so monumental? Another prototype? Nick Valentine’s long-lost brother? How many more secrets could the Institute possibly have?

“If he were your brother, he’d remember!” Piper protested, looking just as lost as Solo did.

“That’s where you’d be wrong,” DiMA said. “This happened over a century ago. There’s… only so much memory that can fit into the prototype brains we have.”

“Is it really possible Nick had no idea?” Piper muttered quietly, turning to Solo. “Or… do you think he just never told us?”

“I don’t know,” Solo muttered. “Between the Institute fail-safes, the beatings he’s taken over the years and plain old age… I don’t know what to think anymore. But we _know_ Valentine – both of us are his friends. If he never told us, he must have never had any idea.”

Solo would confront him about it the next time she saw him, for sure, and she had a feeling Piper would be right by her side. Both of them felt both concerned and betrayed by their detective friend. She didn’t believe he would have told them everything about his past off the bat, but she also hadn’t expected he would have kept a secret so big that it was part of their current case on a faraway island.

“About young Kasumi…” DiMA said. “It’s important that you understand exactly why she’s here. If you could indulge me with an answer to my question before…”

“Who or what she is isn’t important,” Piper alleged boldly.

“But it is,” the synth insisted. “Imagine looking at your own hands and having to wonder, ‘was I born with these, or were they manufactured?’ None of us take this transition lightly – she’s facing the possibility of her entire life being a lie. That someone stripped her of her identity and made her into something she isn’t.”

Solo swallowed and looked away. This conversation was bringing back too much from her past, too many of the terrible things she’d done for the Brotherhood. Their beliefs had been drilled into her since she first enlisted. _Synths are abominations_. _Third generation synths especially are alike to concealable super weapons that can be hidden among people. They must all die._

“One more question, if you’ll indulge me,” DiMA said. “You’re here for Kasumi, but I suspect there could be another reason you came to us. Tell me… are _you_ a synth?”

He was looking directly at Solo, and for a long while she could do nothing but stare back at him, lips slightly parted in shock. And then, very rapidly, she snapped, “I’m a human being, not a synth.”

“Are you sure?” There was a challenging twinkle in the synth’s eyes. “I don’t mean to question you, but what’s the first memory you have?”

Solo could feel Piper staring at her, awaiting her answer. “I…” Solo swallowed, her throat dry. “I was with my husband, and we were getting ready for the day. I had to take care of my boy, Shaun, and… well, a lot’s happened since then.”

There was more before that. Solo strained to think about it, but most features of her life beyond her beloved husband and son had become blurry to her. She could remember her father’s face and the boat he taught her to drive when she was younger, but her mother… how long had it been since she remembered her mother’s death? When she was a little girl, surely it had been a big deal to her. Now she was numb to it. It no longer mattered to her. Just like everything else.

Either she had lost her mind, or… she wasn’t who she thought she was in the first place.

“No memories before then?” the synth asked. “No childhood? Your best friend? Your first kiss?”

Solo had no reason to remember these things anymore – what was the point in even asking? Angrily, and rather defensively, she growled, “It’s none of your business!”

He smiled sadly. “That’s usually a sign. Data is easy to migrate, but feelings… that’s a hard thing to transfer into another mind. I won’t lie to you – there will always be another explanation. Trauma, disease and background radiation all take their toll on the mind. But I can promise you that you will be accepted here, whatever you decide is true for yourself.”

“I’m not a synth,” Solo said shortly. “End of discussion.”

“I understand. I won’t pry any further.”

But his questions had already hit home. Solo already felt lost all over again, just like she had after the destruction of the Institute. Aimless and alone, just drifting between reality and whatever was on the other side of the boundary. She’d been taught to mistrust and kill synths, and yet now she was being told she had to reason to believe that she was one herself. It was… impossible. It had to be.

“Acadia is open to you,” the synth said. “Feel free to walk the grounds and introduce yourself to my co-founders, Faraday and Chase. Kasumi is usually working down below, whenever you wish to see her. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss before you go?”

Solo was restless and buzzing on her feet. She sensed that Piper was about to answer for the both of them, playing the curious reporter as always.

“You should know the Institute has been destroyed,” Solo said tersely, before she could speak.

There was a long pause of silence, the synth’s expression twisting into one of shock. “What? It’s over? No more Courser hunts? No more slavery?"

"You got it," Piper said cheerfully.

DiMA's face fell. "But…that also means the technology to make the synths is lost. Our origins have been buried. Not to mention, the loss of human life…”

Solo wanted to explode with anger at him. Only because Piper was beside her did she contain herself, breathing out a fuming sigh instead. “The Brotherhood wiped out a great evil. You have no right to judge our actions. Those _things_ deserved what was coming for them – monsters infiltrating our homes, kidnapping our families." She knew she should stop there, but something told her that she wouldn't be true to herself or the Brotherhood if she didn't keep on going. "And to think, what the hell would we do with more synths in the world? Synths aren't people. Synths are machines, and when they malfunction, they need to be scrapped–”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down, Blue...” Piper let out a shaky laugh, grabbing Solo’s arm and looking at her with wide eyes. “Doesn't matter if someone was born or built, remember? A person's a person. I figured you'd understand that.”

“It’s true. We’re not dangerous,” DiMA said calmly. “Those who’ve used us are the dangerous ones. All we want is to live in peace, on our own. See for yourself – walk through Acadia. Talk to my people, and you’ll realize we’re a threat to no one.”

Solo scowled at him. “The Brotherhood of Steel knows _exactly_ how-”

“We’ll reserve all judgement for now!” Piper interrupted quickly, disguising her disapproval with a bright smile.

Solo glowered at her, paused a moment, and then ripped her arm away. “I’ll be outside getting some fresh air when you’ve finished.”

Piper’s eyes flickered, and she looked like she wanted to protest, but Solo stormed away before she could, her mind a turmoil of angry emotions and questions.

She still didn’t know who she was or what to do, and that was the issue which had been bugging her since she left the Brotherhood. All along, since she first enlisted, she couldn't understand why she should hate the synths and ghouls that had done nothing wrong. She'd known that there was really no difference between her and them. It was only now that she realized there _was_ a difference; while they spent their lives simply trying to survive in a world that was prejudiced towards them, she'd killed her own son and his synth replacement just to satisfy her rage and the Brotherhood's thirst for power and blood. She'd destroyed every trace of her life before, and for what? For glory? For revenge?

Perhaps, against all odds, DiMA was correct and she _was_ a synth. The woman who had lived before the war with her loving husband and son, who fought in court rooms on the behalf of men and women who weren't always innocent, who gave to charity once a month... she would never have done any of these things. 

Solo was only just realizing that her old self was gone.

 ---

Solo had left the compound and was sitting on some of the mountain rocks outside the observatory, looking out over the Fog-drenched landscape below, when Piper finally found her. The reporter quickly sat down beside her, her face expressing exactly how upset she was with what had happened inside. Solo had always known Piper disagreed with many of the Brotherhood’s beliefs. 

“What _was_ that?”

Solo glanced over. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what's gotten into you, Blue?” Piper countered angrily. “I didn’t even recognize you in there! You seem hellbent on undoing all the goodwill we've earned!”

“I’m sorry, Piper.”

Solo’s apology, at least, seemed to stun her into silence. Truthfully, Solo had no fight in her left – not now, of all times.

Piper was silent for a few beats, and then she muttered, “I certainly hope so, because until recently, things had been pretty good." She met Solo's eyes, and her own softened a little. "Maybe lay off the tough guy routine when we're dealing with reasonable people, and we should be fine.”

“I’m not sure I meant any of it,” Solo sighed, picking at some yellowed grass and tossing it down the side of the mountain. The wind picked it up halfway, and it flew in the opposite direction, in the direction of the sea. “I left the Brotherhood for a reason, you know… and I’m not sure I have any intention of going back.”

Piper’s eyebrow quirked up. “Oh, really?”

“I told you about Shaun that night at Dugout Inn, remember?”

“I… remember.”

“Well, I’m aware that what I did makes me some sort of monster,” Solo said coolly. “It certainly seems that I have zero morals, and that worries me more than anything else. If I go back to the Brotherhood... I'll lose every trace of who I used to be. If there's anything left, that is...”

Piper sighed sadly. “Blue-”

“When I was searching for Shaun, I didn’t care about doing right by anyone – I decided I’d do anything, _believe_ anything, as long as I found him and he was safe in my arms again.” She yanked more grass out of the ground and stared at it in her palm. “But those beliefs consumed me, and I ended up killing him. My baby boy.”

“The fact you know it’s wrong means you’re not lacking in morals,” Piper said quietly, reaching for her hand. Her fingers and the thin leather of her glove were cool against Solo's skin, and almost seemed to anchor her to reality. Solo stared down at Piper's hand over her own, knowing she only pitied her, but she felt comforted all the same.

“Whatever you did, whatever you went through… you dealt with it in your own way. You did what you had to do. I’ve come across monsters before, Blue, and you’re not one of them.”

Solo looked at her, really looked at her, and tried to understand how a woman with no friends, hardly any family, and a home that constantly tried to get rid of her could be such a good person. One day, she wanted to be that good. She wanted to be the type of woman who noticed a ghoul living in one of the Commonwealth’s settlements and only see them as a person trying to survive. She wanted to think of the Institute’s destruction and her time in the Brotherhood as a lesson learned, but not necessarily believe in any of their views anymore.

Solo shook her head, smiling a little. Carefully, she withdrew her hand from beneath Piper's. “Easy to forget there are still genuinely good people out there.”

“Huh?”

“I mean you, Piper. I think you’re rubbing off on me.” Solo brushed her fingers free of the grass and flashed her partner a smile. “Maybe letting you come along was a good idea.”

Piper beamed graciously. “Well, aren’t you suddenly a big softie?”

“Don’t ruin it.” Solo gave her a hard look and then stared out over the forest again. The wind was freezing, but she felt it was at least keeping her sharp. The last thing she wanted was to succumb to her thoughts and edge down the hole Piper had just gotten her out of.

"You know, I used to be a lawyer. Never spent that much time in court rooms because I had Shaun before I could put my degree to good use. But..." She paused. "I used to fight for people's freedom. Isn't that... different?"

"A lawyer, huh?" Piper was suddenly very attentive. "And what was justice like back then?"

"I made sure everyone got a fair trial. That they didn't get rolled over by the system. Hardly matters now..."

Piper nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe not from where you're standing, Blue. But I think a whole lotta people would deserve a guardian of the downtrodden."

"I didn't say every lawyer was like me," Solo remarked. "It was mainly a bunch of power-hungry bastards locking up anyone they didn't like or got in their way."

"Oh, so not much has changed then," Piper sighed.

"What's it matter now? The American penal code burned up along with most of Boston."

"Fair enough..."

Solo gazed at her, wondering why she looked so put down. She probably thought the world before the war was paradise. Compared to this wasteland, it practically was, but Solo couldn't make it clear enough that paradise didn't exist - and it never had. 

They sat in silence for a little while longer, and Solo bit her tongue at some of the things she wanted to say. Instead, she muttered, "About what happened inside - I think… I snapped because some of the things DiMA was saying in there shook me. About the possibility of me being a synth...”

“If you could be a synth, I could be a synth,” Piper cut in frankly. “ _Anyone_ could be synth – that’s the reason it’s so scary. But I don’t think the Institute would have let one of their own synths burn their organization to the ground, do you?”

Solo nodded reluctantly. “That’s actually a good point.”

“The truth is full of good points,” Piper said sanguinely. “And so am I, as the Commonwealth's ace reporter.”

“Ah, she’s humble too.”

Piper grinned at her sarcasm. “You know, Blue, you’re pretty funny for someone who says they don’t have a sense of humor.”

Solo shrugged, resting her arms on top of her knees. She felt considerably better now than she had earlier, and almost wanted to return into the observatory and apologize to DiMA. But she wouldn’t - not if it made her feel like she was accepting all the things he'd told her. There was something she _could_ do, though, to make Piper less disappointed in her.

“You know how I said I never completely agreed with the Brotherhood’s views?”

Piper smiled warmly, crossing her legs. “Oh yeah - don’t worry, I believe you.”

“After all that?” Solo shook her head in disbelief. “Sure you do. I think I have something more convincing.”

The reporter straightened up, hazel-green eyes locked on her face. “Is this a story?”

“Not a great one. But listen.”

 ---

It had been a lesson learned from the Brotherhood that hate didn’t ebb; it multiplied. Solo had spent too long now seeing every Commonwealth inhuman as her enemy; she had grown accustomed to the feeling of nausea and disgust whenever she came face to face with a feral or a super mutant. Even the ghouls that were friendly, that wished her no harm, were despised by the Brotherhood of Steel. Solo was no longer sure what to think.

She had been inside the Institute, and had seen with her own eyes the world where all the synths were created. Even her son, Shaun, who was the master of it all, was impossible to hate. And she’d helped the Railroad too, yet another faction who thought they were doing the Commonwealth a favor – yet another group of people who the Brotherhood thought would be better off dead. It wouldn’t be long until Solo would be heading a mission to destroy them. Just because they saw synths as creatures akin to human beings; sentient robots who deserved a second chance at life.

Had Danse deserved a second chance? Did he still?

For the first time since she’d joined the Brotherhood, Solo felt unsure about her orders; she felt sick about what she’d been told to do. This was her first disagreement with Elder Maxson, and she wasn’t sure what to think of it.

A dejected voice spoke from the corner of the room: “I’m not surprised Maxson sent you. He never liked to do the dirty work himself.”

Solo spun around, breath catching in her throat, and felt even sicker as she saw the state her superior was in. Wearing nothing but his undergarments, streaked in dust and grime, beard grown out and eyes sunken. He had given up on himself long before she arrived.

Solo stared at him for a long while, her gun still levelled at his head, and then slowly let it lower back to her side. Her mouth was dry as she told him, “I don’t understand what’s going on, Danse.”

“Believe me,” he said. “This is more of a shock to me than it is to you. I didn’t know. Until Quinlan got that list decoded, I thought synths were the enemy.” He paused. “I never expected to hear that I was one of them.”

Solo believed him. Maxson had thought Danse was a traitor, a monster, but she’d known Danse well enough that she’d been sure he thought he was human. He had been the greatest Brotherhood soldier they had; but that had been the Institute’s intention, she supposed.

“So, what are your orders?” Danse inquired, standing up straight. “Does Maxson even want me alive?”

Solo, too frustrated to give him a straight answer, demanded, “How could you not know you’re a synth?”

His face fell, but he didn’t turn away. “It doesn’t make sense to me either. It just feels like a cruel joke. I… remember being a child, growing up in the ruins, _everything_. I suppose they programmed that into my head. I felt like I was in control of my entire life, making my own decisions. Even though the proof states I’m a synth, I don’t feel any different than I did before. I still feel human.”

Solo let out a shaky breath, wondering why this bothered her so much. It wasn’t just that Danse was her friend, or that she knew she would have to carry out her orders in the end – it was that this had come so completely out of the blue. Surely anyone could be synth. Elder Maxson, or Proctor Ingram, or even herself. And she hadn’t realized before that they were so _human_. Danse was human, goddammit, and she wanted there to be proof of it.

“I’m hoping there’s a way out,” Solo said quietly.

Danse cocked his head. “Don’t be ridiculous. Look, I’m not blind to the fact that we’re good friends and this must be difficult for you. I wish Maxson had sent someone else. But that doesn’t change a thing. I’m a synth, which means I need to be destroyed.” When he saw the hesitation on Solo’s face, he frowned and added, “If you disobey your orders, you’re not only betraying Maxson, you’re betraying the Brotherhood of Steel and everything it stands for. Synths can’t be trusted. Machines were never meant to make their own decisions – they must be controlled. I… I need to be the example, not the exception.”

Solo sighed, willing back the unnecessary tears. “The empathy you’re showing me… it’s a human emotion, Danse.”

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I’ve made my decision,” he said boldly. “I’m ready to accept the consequences of my true identity. Maxson’s ordered you to execute me, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to stand in your way.”

“Danse…” Solo took a deep breath. Her gun felt heavy in her hands, but she knew it was just her doubt making it feel that way. “I don’t know if I can do it, Danse.”

The surprise on his face was almost painful – he looked as if she were betraying him. But her gut told her it must be the right thing, that this man did not deserve to die.

“I can’t believe you’d risk your own life just to keep me alive,” Danse said, almost with a hint of self-loathing in his voice. “Why would you do that for me?”

“You’re the proof that Maxon’s wrong,” Solo said. “You’re a synth, but everything you’ve done has been for the good of mankind.”

He was shaking his head before she’d even finished talking. “I can’t accept that, I’m sorry. And I don’t wish to debate this any longer. You’ve sworn an oath to destroy the Institute and every synth that you find… no exceptions.”

Solo’s time was running out, almost as if in slow motion. What was the right thing to do? Did she even know the difference between right and wrong anymore?

“Consider this your greatest test, Knight,” she heard Paladin Danse tell her as if from a distance. “Do you have what it takes to get the job done?”

Her arm was rising before she even had control over it, and then her pistol was pointed directly at the man’s broad, unprotected chest. She saw in his eyes that familiar light of understanding and fear as he realized he was about to die.

He had never looked more human than he did in this moment.

She knew, despite her confusion and deep sadness, that this was exactly what she must do.

“I’m so sorry, Danse,” she whispered.

Her gun moved slightly to the right, and then she pulled the trigger.


	10. Truth Tells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper and Solo find Kasumi, but their case is far from over. They're faced with a whole new situation that could endanger the island and put the locals at risk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've realized that a lot of the past chapters have involved conversation after conversation, and it could get a little tedious. Unfortunately, this is the result of both my laziness and the fact there's so much Far Harbor dialogue to fit into the story. Sorry...  
> This chapter is a little bit fluffy near the end between Solo and Piper, so I hope you enjoy! I'm a fan of that slow build into friendship and subsequently something more, and that's my aim with their relationship in the story. It'll take a little while, but that's always what makes falling in love more intense, I think.  
> As usual, thank you so much for reading this far!

Piper was gazing at Solo suspiciously. “You… didn’t do it?”

“I _couldn’t_ do it,” Solo elucidated. “Danse was my friend and comrade since the beginning. Who he was to me was more important than the fact he was a synth. He wasn't some sick dog to be put down, though I'm pretty sure Maxson didn’t see things that way.”

“Maxson sounds like a lunatic,” Piper said darkly.

“He was, but up until that point, it didn’t matter to me. I didn’t start questioning him until he sent me after Danse.”

“Did he know what you did?”

Solo shivered a little. “I left Danse patched up and told him to leave as soon as possible after I was gone. When I returned to the Prydwen, I gave Maxson Danse’s holotags, did a good bit of lawyer acting, and he had no reason not to believe me. I had the reputation of always getting the job done. After that, Danse was never talked about again.” Solo stretched out her legs, feeling cramped up, and glanced over at Piper. “I guess that's what Danse gets for a lifetime of loyal service, huh?”

Piper sighed somberly. “That’s terrible, Blue.”

“I know. At least he’s alive, though – maybe someday he’ll end up somewhere like Acadia.”

“Maybe.” Piper waited a beat. “Did you ever try and see him again?”

Solo thought about that, realizing she hadn’t tried at all. Even after the destruction of the Institute, she hadn’t thought once about how her old friend was doing. He’d simply disappeared out of the Commonwealth and she hadn’t cared to follow him up.

“No,” she said simply. “I guess I was too focused on myself and Shaun.”

“Still not sure how you did it, but Danse, he owes his life to you.” Piper nudged her shoulder good-naturedly and gave her wide smile. “Well done.”

Solo could hardly prevent her own smile from rising to her cheeks, and her effort to stifle it only made her face ache. She cleared her throat. “After everything that they made me do, I did wonder before pressing that button if I was just trading one monster for another.”

“Maybe you were.” Piper shrugged. “But I suppose that was always how it was going to end, wasn't it? At least the Brotherhood doesn’t hide in the shadows.”

“True.” Solo glanced back over her shoulder at the observatory, thoughtful. “There’s something about hiding that puts people on edge. Acadia… it sounds like synth paradise, but regardless of all the good DiMA has done, I have a feeling there’s something bubbling under the surface.”

When she turned back to Piper, the woman had her eyes narrowed. “I agree.”

“Really?” Solo smiled in surprise, glad she wasn’t alone in her doubts.

“DiMA’s relation to Nicky really threw me,” Piper said, chewing on her lip. “I’d say that’s the only reason, but… hell, I like it when the truth is out there for all to see. I guess all that’s left is to find Kasumi and see what she knows.”

“And then get her home,” Solo said gladly, realizing all of sudden that the case was almost closed. Kasumi would return to her parents, synth or not – which Shaun had never managed to do, God bless him – and Solo would revisit Diamond City, find Nick Valentine, and get the secrets out of him. All the loose ends would be tied, and she would perhaps feel complete for the first time in a long time. All the horrors and secrets of Far Harbor would be left behind in the Fog.

Piper seemed crestfallen. “Yeah. Case closed.”

“What, you don’t want to go home?” Solo inquired lightly, a little confused. “Write your next bestselling issue?”

Piper’s shoulders rose in a sort of absent-minded shrug, and she glanced at Solo a little bashfully. “I think I’ll stay in Far Harbor a little while longer after Kasumi’s safe. There’s so much hidden here. I… I’m not so good at turning my back on so many potential stories.”

Solo sighed. “You’re crazy, Piper.”

“You know it.” She grinned. “Anyway, I’ll stay out of trouble. Maybe I can get Old Longfellow to be my personal tour guide and bodyguard.”

“ _I’m_ your personal bodyguard,” Solo countered sullenly.

Piper smiled, delighted. “Good to know I can count on you, Blue. But… as much as I needed a trip like this, I know this sort of excitement only ends in one of two ways – better, or worse. It’d be good to back out now while you still can. Take Kasumi home, get all comfortable in Diamond City…”

“Right.”

Solo regarded her for a short while, taking in the friendly smile; the pretty, watchful hazel eyes that saw right through her, with dark lashes that brushed her cheeks every time she closed them; the way the wind swept wisps of dark hair across her neck, jaw, and cheeks as if to caress her skin. What caught Solo’s attention the most, however, was behind her face: the passion in her eyes. Solo could read clearly that she would fight to the very last tear for her life. She would not let the world break her. Sure, she could cry as the Commonwealth took everything she loved and valued from her, but it would never be able to change who she was. Her passion made her beautiful. Solo needed to take a leaf from her book and learn to make the world adapt to her rather than the other way around. She needed to start now.

Solo realized abruptly – and with considerable embarrassment – that she was staring at Piper without comment, and Piper was staring right back expectantly. Had she been about to say something?

Very swiftly, Solo edged her eyes away and climbed to her feet, brushing grass off the backs of her legs. She slung her bag and the Gatling laser over her shoulders, sighing a little under the substantial weight. Piper climbed to her feet too, suddenly seeming quite subdued. Whatever had just happened in that short moment, Solo wasn’t sure whether she’d liked it or disliked it. The tension in the air was pretty hard to ignore.

“I guess it’s time to find Kasumi,” Solo said, her voice sounding oddly hollow to her own ears.

“Yeah,” was all Piper replied.

 ---

Acadia was a network of staircases and open chambers, inside which the rest of the synths had built dozens of beds and food stations. Most of them didn’t bother to acknowledge Solo and Piper’s presence, but a few gave them friendly nods or introduced themselves. Every single one of them looked no different to the settlers Solo had seen in the Commonwealth, wearing whatever rags had been provided. Most of them had jobs around the observatory, fixing water pipes, cooking meals or setting up new beds.

How many synths arrived here each day? How many lived here already?

Solo was honestly a little awed by the community, especially because it was so different to both the Institute and the Railroad. The synths really did live in peace here, and they all seemed genuinely happy to be away from the rest of civilization.

“I can't write a story on this. Right? It'd compromise their whole...” Piper trailed off, huffing a heavy sigh as they entered the second level below ground. Here, there were less synths and a greater amount of equipment and machinery. Solo had already asked a few synths if they knew where Kasumi was, but none of them had been entirely sure – she was new, after all.

They finally found themselves at one of the building’s underground pumps, lit only by a barrel of burning waste. One young woman in a mechanics uniform was in here, and she was kneeling at the foot of the pump, mumbling to herself in a voice that was very familiar to Solo from all the holotapes.

“Circuitry is completely fried…”

“Kasumi Nakano?” Piper called uncertainly.

Without getting up, the girl muttered, “Sorry, I’m right in the middle of something.”

“We were hired to find you,” Solo clarified.

The girl’s shoulders froze, and she very slowly turned her head to look at them, her dark eyes full of shock. If anything, she looked more like her mother than her father, with the same rounded, youthful features. In the next instant, her face had softened and she’d climbed carefully to her feet, gazing at the two of them like a deer caught in headlights. “You… you came all this way… for me?”

“You left without telling your folks why,” Piper said gently. “You must have known they’d be worried.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Look, my mom and dad –  I mean, those people who were taking care of me… they wouldn’t want me back. Not if they knew the truth.”

So that was it, then. Kasumi was a synth; it was something she was certain of.

“The truth?” Piper questioned warily.

“I’m not their daughter, I’m a synth.” Kasumi’s face fell, but her eyes were hard, as if she had more than just them to convince. “I thought if I just left it would be easier for them. How would that conversation have gone, anyway? ‘I’ve been lying to you this whole time? Your real daughter is dead and I replaced her?’” She sighed.

Solo chose her words carefully: “Do you have any proof that you’re actually a synth?”

Kasumi turned and placed her screwdriver on the pump behind her, crossing her arms. “Little things. Dreams of waking up in a lab. Years I can’t remember from when I was a kid. Not to mention how I never quite fit in at home.”

Piper rejoined, “Kasumi, I think you’re just confused. Everyone has doubts about who they are sometimes – that’s part of life.”

“I… I wish that was true. If I wasn’t a synth, things would be so much simpler.” She sighed again, tucking some hair behind her ear. “Acadia isn’t what I thought it would be. There’s more going on here than just the refuge.”

Solo perked up at that instantly. “Kasumi-”

“I can’t leave until I’ve gotten to the bottom of it,” the girl said firmly. “I’ve been running long enough.”

Piper shot her a sideways look and Solo returned it, sensing that Piper was secretly gleeful for this change in situation.

“What kind of problem is there in Acadia?” Piper inquired curiously.

“It’s a long story. I just have to figure out how to… wait!” Her eyes widened. “Wait – you find things, right? That’s why you came after me?”

Solo nodded, even though she knew that wasn’t entirely true. Sure, she’d spent most of her time in the Commonwealth searching for a little boy who was supposed to be unfindable and she’d succeeded. But she was no detective – she wasn’t Nick Valentine. Piper, too, despite her constant search for the truth, was no professional. They would need to tread carefully here.

“What if I told you there’s a secret,” Kasumi said, unfolding her arms and becoming much more animated. “A _big_ secret, here on the island. Something way more important than just one lost girl?”

“I’m listening,” Solo said without hesitation. Piper, too, took a slight step forward and tilted her head in her typical _You’re safe, just tell us the truth_ stance. She was doing a good job at hiding it, but Solo knew she was excited about this – she’d wanted to uncover the secrets on the island, after all. This was her way in.

“Okay… where to begin? You saw all those computers that DiMA’s hooked up to, right?” Kasumi said. “They hold his memories or offload data from his brain. Maybe some combination of both? Well, Faraday – he’s one of the founders – asked me to do some repairs on them. And, you know, I got curious. There’s like a century’s worth of life experiences in there.”

She sounded just as animated as she had on the holotape about her radio, and Solo couldn’t help but smile. “Go on.”

“I was looking through the system, and that’s when I see it: data models DiMA has been making. One was the Fog taking over Far Harbor, and another was nuclear detonation on the island – plus death counts!”

Solo blinked at her, assimilating this new information. She’d been _right_ about DiMA, she knew it! Of course there was something under the surface – _of course_ this place had secrets. Whoever DiMA was… Solo now felt she had the right to find out and follow her curiosity. If he was putting the whole island in danger, that would surely involve the Brotherhood, right? Part of Solo’s job was to protect the locals from danger.

“What if DiMA’s so open and welcoming because he’s actually hiding something from us?” Kasumi continued. “A plan to wipe out the rest of the island?”

Extermination. Solo would be a hypocrite if she pretended such an idea was new and terrible to her – after all, the Brotherhood wanted to exterminate entire races in the Commonwealth. What was so different here?

Piper cleared her throat. “We should get to the bottom of this. If DiMA is putting on an act, we need to know.”

“You don’t trust DiMA? After you came all this way for him?” Solo questioned Kasumi.

The girl frowned. “I didn’t come here for him. I came because this place offered answers.”

Piper and Solo exchanged a knowing look. So had they. Far Harbor seemed to hold the same allure for all three of them.

“We’ll help if we can,” Piper said brazenly. “But what you’ve said is not much to go on. If a war is coming to the island that could kill absolutely everyone… we need some proof.”

“I’ve been working on that, but I haven’t had much luck,” Kasumi muttered. “I keep seeing DiMA, Chase and Faraday head into the laboratory at the other end of the hall. Then they come out later, looking like they’ve been arguing.” Her eyes lit up, as if she had an idea. “There’s actually a storage space right next to there. It’d be a perfect place to hide and eavesdrop, but it’s been… locked up.”

Solo found herself smirking at that. “Not a problem.”

“Anything else you’ve tried?” Piper pressed.

“Breaking into Faraday’s terminal. The security on it is crazy, though. If you can get into that room and listen to their conversation…”

“We’ll find a way in,” Solo said gravely.

“Okay. Good luck – come and tell me if you find anything.”

Piper and Solo hesitated, gazing at her with concern. “You’re sure you’ll be okay?” Piper asked softly.

“I’m fine. Thanks for coming all the way out here, but I’m not in danger. Not unless DiMA has something up his sleeve I don’t know about.” Kasumi put on a brave smile. “I just want answers, you know?”

“We do too,” Solo said. “But we’re supposed to keep you safe, so… try to leave the trouble to us, alright?”

“Alright,” Kasumi muttered, crestfallen.

Piper and Solo nodded their goodbyes, and then walked to a safe distance so that they could talk without being overheard.

“From one case to another,” Solo muttered, frustrated. “It’s never easy for us, is it?”

“You could still take Kasumi home,” Piper reasoned, leaning against the wall. “I mean, we’ve found her and she’s safe – that was the whole point of the case, wasn’t it?”

“What, and leave you at the mercy of a possible future mass murderer?” Solo scoffed. “Don’t think so. Besides… I’m not so good at turning my back on a good story, either.”

Piper’s smile was startlingly bright, and she looked so happy that Solo almost felt physically blown away. “I’m glad, Blue. It’d be dull without ya.”

Solo grinned in return. “So… we get into this storage locker, wait for them to arrive at their next meeting, and we eavesdrop. What then?”

“Depends on what we hear during the conversation,” Piper said. “If it sounds as terrifying as what Kasumi told us, we’ll have to find a way to stop DiMA before it’s too late.”

“And how’s that going to work exactly?”

Piper shrugged. “We’ll find a way. You’re the destroyer of the Institute, remember? I wouldn’t put it past you. Or… you could invite your lovely Brotherhood buddies over to right all the wrongs and eradicate synth-kind and bla bla bla…”

“The Brotherhood isn’t getting involved in this,” Solo said firmly. “Knowing them, a lot of innocent people would get hurt while they dealt with the problem. Whatever this is, you and me have to figure it out alone. If that means confronting DiMA… so be it.”

Piper quirked an eyebrow. “Ah, how did I ever travel without you, Blue? You sure know how to show a girl a good time.”

“If we both die, you’re going to regret saying that.”

Piper only smiled. “Come on. Let’s go find that storage locker.”

 ---

The storage locker was hidden behind a rusty door at the end of the hall, just as Kasumi had told them. It was about four in the afternoon, and Solo had no idea when DiMA and his founding partners would be having their daily conversation – Kasumi had hinted that it occurred around night time, when all the synths had returned upstairs for some dinner. Solo and Piper would have to hole up until then; and the earlier, the better.

As expected, the door had been fitted with a heavy, chunky-looking lock. Upon seeing it, Piper sighed in frustration and glanced at her pistol. “Any chance you could blow that thing off?”

“No need.” Solo plucked a bobby pin out of her pocket along with a screwdriver from her bag and crouched down in front of the door. “Just keep watch, will you?”

“Breaking and entering, huh?” Piper seemed surprised. Sighing, she turned with her back to Solo so that she could watch the hallway. “Anything for a story…”

“You’re the one who suggested shooting the lock off,” Solo returned scornfully.

She inserted the smooth end of the bobby pin into the lock and touched the screwdriver just below it, bending it slightly to the side. If she shone a torch inside the cavity, she’d be able to see the mechanism more clearly, but she didn’t have enough time for that. Keeping the screwdriver steady, she began to deftly spin the bobby pin to the left, listening for tension. Once she had it in place, she shifted the screwdriver as well, twisting the lock. To her own surprise, she succeeded on her first try – there was a loud click, and the lock disengaged.

Piper turned the moment she heard the click, and Solo glanced back at her haughtily.

“Hey, you're pretty good at that,” Piper said grudgingly, impressed. “Like, ‘maybe next time you're in my house I need to keep an eye on you’ good.”

Solo grinned, placing the screwdriver and bobby pin pack in her pocket before swinging open the door. “After you.”

Piper shook her head as she passed, though she still looked a little awe-struck. “Any other special skills, Blue? Talents? Other than finding trouble, of course.”

Solo followed her in and shut the door behind them, engaging the lock once again before she turned and surveyed the room. “Would you believe me if I said I was good with computers, too?”

“Not sure. I can barely get mine to save, so I suspect _everyone’s_ ‘good’ at computers besides me.”

There were plenty of barrels and crates in here, and besides the light coming in from underneath the door, it was wreathed in darkness. One of the walls consisted of a large window that looked into the next room, supposedly the one where DiMA staged all his meetings, and there was plenty of space beneath it to hide and watch what was going on. Kasumi had chosen the location well.

Solo dumped her bag on the floor and stretched her back, sighing when she heard a click. She did the same with her arms and legs, and then her fingers, stretching every part of her body that had felt tense since they left Far Harbor. Piper, meanwhile, was pacing the room with her notebook in hand, scribbling down notes about the recent complications in their case.

“How’s the story coming along?” Solo inquired.

“It’s hardly a story yet.” Piper sighed and tucked her notebook away in her coat again, removing her gloves and hat too so she could stuff them in her pockets. She finally stopped pacing to take a seat on one of the crates below the observation window. “What d’you want to do until they arrive?”

“I have some wine.”

She raised her eyebrows in pleasant surprise. “Pour away, Blue. I was wondering why your bag was so heavy.”

As Solo dug through her bag for the wine bottle, she frowned over at Piper. “How the hell do you know how heavy my bag is?”

Instead of appearing embarrassed at the confrontation, Piper only shrugged noncommittally. “I carried it down for you after you almost killed yourself that first day in Far Harbor, remember?”

Solo popped the cork on the wine bottle and took a careful seat next to Piper, but with her back against one of the crates. “Ah, right.”

“You know, you should let me carry something sometime, before you cripple yourself,” Piper told her amusedly. “I’m surprised you haven’t toppled over under all that junk.”

“That 'junk' is likely to become useful,” Solo retorted. “Like now, for instance.”

With a smirk, she offered the wine bottle to Piper. The reporter paused only a short moment before taking it and downing a hefty swig. She grimaced at the taste and then climbed off the crate to sit beside Solo, handing the bottle back.

“Tastes like vinegar,” she said finally.

Solo laughed, sipping it. “It’s not that bad.”

“Truthfully, I’m more of a beer kinda gal.”

“Noted.”

Piper looked at her in amusement. “Why? You gonna buy me a drink some time, Blue?”

That sounded rather like an overt come-on, but Solo decided not to remark on it. After all, she’d just offered to buy the woman a drink.

“Maybe when this is all over, if we’re not dead.” She took a long swig and forced the bitter liquid down, closing her eyes. The wine was very old – centuries old – so it would never taste great anyway. What she wanted was some good decade-old wine that she and Nate used to buy from the supermarket and share over dinner before the war. That stuff was _good_.

“Remember how I said you have a talent for finding trouble?” Piper asked after a moment, breaking the silence.

“Pot. Kettle. Black,” Solo responded coolly.

“Hey, I’m not one to judge!” Piper protested. “Honestly, it’s nice not to be doing it alone for a change. In my line of work, things tend to get pretty hairy.” She leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling, an odd nostalgic smile on her face. “I’ve been shot at, poisoned, nearly executed. Heck, until recently, they called the lock-up at Diamond City the ‘Piper Suite’. Anything for a story, I suppose.”

Solo stared at her, astounded. “Someone poisoned you?”

The reporter tilted her head to look at her, snorting derisively. “You kidding me? I barely had the paper going before I got poisoned. First time, I’d just published an article about this cartel of caravans that had been driving up food prices in the city.”

“Oh, Piper.”

“No, don’t give me that,” she said, mock-sternly. “The article went over well, even got a boycott of their goods started in town, so I figured I’d head over to Dugout Inn for a victory drink.”

“I can guess what happened next.” Solo drank more of the wine, shaking her head. “Someone poisoned you, you nearly died… and you went on to continue doing exactly the same thing anyway. Typical Piper.”

“Let me tell the story, Blue,” she pleaded, though she was grinning. “See, I’d already taken a swig before I realized something was wrong. Vadim – he wasn’t at the bar. The beer tasted off… even more so than usual. And I started feeling woozy.” She shrugged, a gleam in her eyes. “I don’t know what he slipped me, but I knew I had to get it out. I’m looking around for something… and there it is. The still. And I just start chugging moonshine.”

Solo winced, grimacing at the mere thought of the taste of moonshine – the most disgusting creation since the bombs fell, for sure. This woman was crazy… but maybe also a genius.

“Yeah, honestly, I’m not sure it was better than just dying from the poison,” Piper said, chuckling. “But it worked.” She glanced at Solo, gestured down her throat with two fingers, and made a retching sound. “And while I was passed out on the floor, security managed to grab the bartender. He eventually ratted on his bosses and they all got to share some time in the pen.”

Solo let out a low whistle. “The truth strikes again.”

“Exactly.” Piper reached for the wine, plucking it from Solo’s hands so she could take a drink. “Happened a couple other times, too, though they weren’t as dramatic. I think Doctor Sun has truly given up on me.”

“You said something about an execution too,” Solo said, frowning. “If we’re going to be here for a while, I want to hear all the stories.”

Piper smiled at her fondly. “Yeah, the execution didn’t quite take, thank God. I’d been working on this story about irradiated drinking water in Bunker Hill. I traced the water back to its source, through these old sewer tunnels, and what do I find? The Children of Atom, setting up like they own the place.”

Solo blinked, surprised. “You’ve come up against the Children before? Why didn’t you say?”

“Hey, it wasn’t a great experience,” she explained. “Also, it’s hardly a great traveling story – more like a creepy campfire tale.”

“Go on.”

Piper didn’t need more convincing. “They found me just as quick. Turns out they weren’t so fond of reporters…”

“Nor is anybody, it seems.”

“…So, to atone for my trespassing, they decided to make a sacrifice to Atom: me,” Piper continued, ignoring her. “I’m kneeling there, about to get the boot into this huge sewer pipe, when suddenly I blurt out, ‘Atom! He reveals himself!’”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Solo said flatly.

“And they bought it!” Piper grinned. “They pulled me back from the ledge… and then gave me their induction ceremony. You are looking at an official acolyte of Atom.”

“Jesus, you realize reporters actually aren’t supposed to do these sorts of things, right?” Solo marveled. 

Piper ran a hand through her hair. “Yeah, I’ve led an exciting life. But…” She paused, sobering up in a split second as she cast a sideways glance over at Solo. “Honestly, now that I’m out here with you, I feel like I’m just getting started. Getting in trouble is what folks like us do.”

“You don’t say,” Solo mumbled, for the lack of better words.

“You and I are out here, putting ourselves at risk so that people can have a chance at a better life,” Piper mused. “Not for praise, or reward, or glory, but because it’s _right_.”

“How much wine have you been drinking?” Solo snatched the bottle from her, weighing it in her hand. “You don’t remember our whole conversation earlier about what an asshole I was?”

Piper tilted her head to the side, giving Solo a careful look. “I just wanted to let you know, I’m real happy to be along for the ride,” she said quietly.

Solo gazed at her for a little longer than necessary, realizing she was very happy too, before finally breaking their eye contact and taking a final swig of the wine. She wiped her mouth, weighing her words. “I wouldn’t want it any other way. I like having you close.”

“Oh!” Piper’s eyes widened a little, and she stuttered, “Uh, thanks, Blue. That’s awful sweet and… unexpected of you.”

Again, embarrassed Piper was making an appearance, and Solo couldn’t keep herself from smiling. “Chill out, Pipes. Just be glad I can actually stand you now.”

Piper looked away, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I _am_ glad.”

“I’ve got more wine, if you’d like to hear one of my stories,” Solo offered, moving swiftly on. “Let’s see… I’ve got my short-lived career as the Silver Shroud, the discovery of a creepy serial killer gallery, numerous Vaults with hidden secrets…”

She nodded, eyes lighting up. “Tell me all of them.”

Solo pushed herself to her feet and walked over to her bag, sensing Piper contemplating her as she did. As she bent down and reached for her last bottle of wine, Piper asked lightly, “Pipes, huh?”

“Yeah.” Solo straightened up. “I mean, if you get to call me Blue, it’s only fair I get to call you something, too.”

“Pipes and Blue…” Piper laughed briefly. “We sound like the worst jazz duo ever to set foot in the Commonwealth.”

“It’ll do.”

Piper moved her head in a slow nod, smiling again like she couldn't help herself. “Hey, can you start with the Silver Shroud story? He was my favorite superhero when I was a kid.”

“I doubt I did him proud,” Solo grinned, uncorking the second bottle and sitting down beside her again, close enough that their boots touched. “But your wish is my command.”


	11. An Ambitious Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After eavesdropping on DiMA's conversation with Chase and Faraday, the case grows even more interesting. Piper and Solo have to decide whether they want to be involved any further...

Piper was startled nearly out of her skin by the sudden appearance of a yellow glow from behind them – a light had been switched on next door. Solo went quiet immediately, in the middle of another of her heart-stopping stories and seemingly completely sober once again. The faint patter of footsteps could be heard in the next room, along with two or three grave voices. A slam and a click resounded as the door was shut and locked.

“That’s them,” Solo whispered, lifting her head slightly so she could see over the crates and through the window. “Lady in a Courser uniform. Guy in a lab coat. And DiMA.”

Piper would have tried to look over the crates, too, but she wasn’t as tall as her partner. “Tell me what else you see.”

“Not exactly the room of a supervillain mastermind,” she quipped. “Just a laboratory. The three of them definitely look a little shady, though. Uh… I think their meeting’s about to start.”

Piper tried to focus on the noises in the next room, shutting her eyes so she could concentrate.

“…We need to accomplish this without bloodshed,” DiMA was saying, his voice calm and impassive. “Far Harbor and the Children of Atom have the right to exist on this island, same as us.”

Piper jerked her head to look at Solo, eyes wide.

An irritable female voice countered him, muttering, “They’re going to kill each other, DiMA. There’s no stopping it. We need to pick a side _now_.”

“Haven’t we already picked a side?” the third voice reasoned, this one from a cheery-sounding man. “Building the Fog Condensers around Far Harbor wasn’t exactly a neutral act.”

DiMA’s voice sounded weary when he answered this time, and Piper heard the scrape of a chair accompanying his words as he sat down. “We couldn’t stand by and let the people of this island die to the Fog.”

“Just like you couldn’t just leave the Cult of Atom without a home?” the woman scoffed. “Giving them the submarine base was a mistake. ‘The Nucleus’, as they’re calling it, is basically one big fortified position.”

Submarine base? Piper swallowed down her anxiety. That didn’t sound good at all, not when the Children of Atom were concerned. Did that mean they had access to pre-war weapons? Did that mean, if there ever was to be war… they would win?

“Far Harbor had cast them out,” DiMA said serenely. “They have strange beliefs, but they have always accepted us for what we are. And Confessor Martin was a friend.”

The woman sighed, and Piper had the notion she was trying to reign in her annoyance. “Well, the new Confessor isn’t. ‘High Confessor’ Tektus is an unstable megalomaniac, and he’s going to keep threatening us as long as we’re helping Far Harbor.”

“Guys… can we talk about the elephant in the room? We keep dancing around it,” the third man pointed out.

Both Solo and Piper tensed at that, half expecting all three of them to turn towards the window and see they were being watched. Instead, there was a short pause of silence, as if he’d made DiMA and the Courser woman bashful.

“My old memory banks in the submarine base,” DiMA said quietly.

The woman made a tutting sound, a noise of abject anger. “I can’t believe you never told me about those. I have to wait until they become a security risk…”

DiMA protested, “I know how it looks in hindsight, but at the time, it was an act of trust. I was honestly more worried they’d accidentally trip the prewar security and get hurt. Giving the Children my old home, allowing them to safeguard my old memories… I thought our people would be working together.”

The woman sighed apprehensively. “Just how secure are the banks? How long do we have? And what’s in them?”

DiMA considered her questions for a long time, almost as if his brain processes were as slow as an old man’s. Finally, he said, “I’ve gone over this before, Chase. I don’t know what’s in them. That’s how it works. It’s as close to ‘forgetting’ something as I ever have. But I’ve run some projections of… worst-case scenarios. If we do nothing, and the wrong knowledge falls into the wrong hands…”

Piper was overcome by a sense of relief as she realized the nuclear codes Kasumi had mentioned were likely just these worst-case scenarios. Whatever was actually in those memory banks in the submarine base could be much less terrifying and much less dangerous. From the sound of it, they were well-guarded, as well. This wasn’t case closed, though. Piper wanted know what was in those memories. She wanted to know the secrets DiMA had given to the Children of Atom to protect – secrets even he himself didn’t know. The ultimate truth about Acadia, perhaps.

“So send me over. I’ll be in and out in a day,” Chase said curtly.

“We can’t risk it,” DiMA denied. “They know you’re from Acadia. If you’re caught, or even seen, then it’s war.”

“We should at least prepare her to go in,” the third speaker rationalized. “We’re running out of options. I say we tell her how to crack into the memory banks.”

There was a tense silence.

“You’ve been working on this without me?” Chase queried, her voice hard as steel.

“It came up in a private moment, Chase,” DiMA clarified. “But yes, Faraday and I have been writing a program that will let you access and download my memories. It’s not going to be like a normal hack. You’ll be breaking through a version of my own mental network. It’ll consider you to be an intruder.”

“So how do I get in?”

“I’ve loaded a program with some instructions I’ve recorded that will guide you through it. I’m afraid it’s difficult to explain without seeing it for yourself.”

“I’m finishing up some tweaks to the program right now,” Faraday added. “I’ll leave a copy of it for you on my desk when I’m done.”

Chase sighed, conceding to the plan. “Get the program. Use it to break into the memory banks. Got it.”

“Hopefully you won’t have to,” DiMA reminded her. “We’ll keep monitoring the situation. I only want you to go in if there’s no other choice.”

Chase was evidently not happy about this, but she muttered, “Fine.”

There was the sound of the chair scraping against the concrete again as DiMA stood up, and then all three pairs of footsteps moved further away, towards the door. It was unlocked with a click.

“They’re leaving,” Solo whispered. She lifted her head a little more, her features outlined with golden light. When they were gone and she glanced down at Piper, her grey eyes betrayed her worry. “So… what the hell are we going to do now?”

Piper’s veins were flooded with the excitement that arrived every time she felt she had something intriguing at her fingertips. She stood up, staring through the window at the laboratory and thinking hard.

“Either we get that program, or we confront DiMA,” she decided.

Solo stared at her. “You’re not seriously telling me…?”

“What?”

“Piper, we can’t do this. Surely you’ve learned from the last time you dealt with the Children of Atom?”

“We can’t just wait for someone else to discover them, Blue,” Piper objected. “Whatever’s on them could be as dangerous as a nuclear kill code, like Kasumi said. After what I heard in there, I don’t trust anybody but the two of us. That’s why _we_ need to get the memories and make sure we know what’s going on. And we could destroy them afterwards-”

“No!” Solo snapped resolutely. She’d said it so suddenly that Piper actually fell silent. She gazed at the other woman, gauging just how in opposition to the idea she actually was. Even she’d said she was dedicated to finding the truth, hadn’t she?

“We’re confronting DiMA,” Solo said after a moment. “And we’ll deal with whatever that leads to.”

“What?” Piper demanded in disbelief.

“There’s something off about him, sure, but even he has no idea what’s in those memories,” Solo explained. “I think he needs us, Piper. He’s got no choice but to tell us everything if we go to him now and say exactly what we heard.”

Piper’s eyes darted back and forth, searching Solo’s face. She was dead-serious. Without another word, Piper walked over to fetch her bag, pulling her gloves back on and placing her press cap back on her head. She trusted Solo’s instincts more than her own, and if the other woman thought this was the correct approach, she’d go along with it. God help them if they ended up dead and their bodies replaced with synths.

 ---

“Hey, DiMA.”

The synth was hooked up back to his machine in the computer room, and he was accompanied by Faraday, who appeared to be working on maintaining his system. Both of them glanced up when Piper spoke, and Faraday especially had a very surprised look on his face. They hadn’t met him yet, but he seemed to know who they were. 

“Is there anything I can do?” DiMA asked kindly.

Before Piper could begin explaining what they’d seen in more subtle terms, Solo decided to take the reins. She stepped forward aggressively and said, “I know you left some of your memories behind in an old submarine base. That you’re worried the Children of Atom will get to them.”

What followed was a long and uncomfortable silence, during which Piper just glared at the back of Solo’s head and waited to be shot and killed. Faraday literally had his mouth open, eyes wide as he stared at them in disbelief. DiMA’s face was blank, but Piper thought she could see a sort of whirring behind his eyes, as if his programming was catching up with what was happening.

When he spoke, his voice was grating. “You’ve been… busy. I was hoping you were taking your time learning more about us. Huh. I suppose you have...”

Piper cleared her throat, turning his attention to her. “We were drawn to believe there might be something more going in Acadia,” she explained. “Now we know there’s something that could happen to the whole island, and you’re involved… we’re worried.”

DiMA considered her until his white eyes suddenly brightened and he nodded at Faraday. The synth scientist pressed a button on the machine, and the tubes disconnected from DiMA, unlocking from their ports. He walked towards them, coming to a stop at the top of the steps.

“Maybe this is an opportunity for all of us,” he proposed. “I can’t send any of my people without risking the Children of Atom linking them back to Acadia. But you – you’re new the island.”

Piper’s thirst for adventure was so close to being quenched, but she wasn’t about to be sent into something without knowing everything she needed to. “What are you planning, DiMA?” she demanded.

“Before I begin, how much do you know? Did you have any questions about Far Harbor, the Children of Atom or my memories?”

Piper jumped at the chance to learn more. “The Children of Atom on this island… you were helping them?”

“Yes,” he assented. “I know their faith in radiation as a type of god is a bit… different. But who am I to judge? I was using a submarine base as a home when Martin and his followers stumbled inside. They had been cast out of Far Harbor for their beliefs. When I left to found Acadia, I knew the base would be in safe hands. They needed a home. A place to belong, just like I did. But now Martin is gone and his successor, Tektus, wants to finally end the feud with Far Harbor by letting the Fog swallow them.”

Piper knit her brow, rapidly analyzing just what might be awaiting she and Solo if they decided to retrieve the memories after all. She cast a brief glance over at her partner, seeing that she was also deep in thought. Was this really going to happen? Would Solo choose to follow the new case, or would she decide to take Kasumi home? Piper didn’t really want to do it alone; she’d feel much safer with Solo by her side. But she couldn’t make the woman’s choices for her.

“So you’re keeping Far Harbor safe, is that it?” Piper asked warily.

“Not exactly,” DiMA corrected her. “They’re fiercely independent, but the Fog was starting to choke more and more of the island, so I proposed a trade. We would give them the technology to keep the Fog at bay, in return for them being a lifeline to the outside world. A safe dock and a place to buy supplies. Unfortunately, the Children of Atom view the radioactive Fog as a holy portent, and their bloodied history with Far Harbor puts us at odds.”

“And these memories,” Solo cut in, speaking for the first time in a while. “How exactly does that work?”

“As a prototype synth, my raw data capacity is especially limited,” DiMA explained. “I began using computer banks to expand. To give me room to ponder, see new things. I had to leave some of my earliest memories behind when I left the sub base to the Children of Atom. I thought they were safe.”

“You made a foolish decision,” Solo muttered.

“We would like to know your plan,” Piper said quickly, before more tension could arise. “What exactly would you want us to do if we did help you?”

DiMA steepled his fingers. “It’s simple. Pose as a recruit and infiltrate the Children of Atom. Gain access to their base.”

“That’s _not_ simple,” Solo retorted.

“No, it is,” Piper countered suddenly, brightening. “I was made an acolyte by the Children of Atom back in the Commonwealth, remember? I’m technically already one of them. They’d have to let me in!”

Solo set her jaw. “Piper, it’s not happening.”

“They would be much less likely to ask questions,” DiMA mused, contemplating. “Of course, that would require you going in alone, which I wouldn’t recommend. And we need someone with computer knowledge to hack into the memory files.”

“I have some computer knowledge,” Solo said quickly.

Piper scowled at her stubbornly. “Then I’ll find some way to get you in after I-”

Solo snapped, “You’re not going in alone, Piper.”

“Regardless of how you conduct the infiltration,” DiMA interrupted them. “You’ll need to find my memory banks in the old command center, guarded by some prewar security measures. Faraday can give you the program you need to hack the memory banks. And when you find them… bring them to me.”

 _That depends on what’s on them_ , Piper thought.

“So how does this program work?” Solo inquired.

DiMA’s eyes drifted over to the computers surrounding them. “There will be an ordinary-looking terminal with some… attachments. The program will give you access to the terminal. Once you attempt to obtain a memory, your perspective might… er, shift a little. Just relax. The program will explain things to you as you need them.”

“Great. So it’s like the memory den all over again,” Solo muttered grimly.

“You’re going to trust us with this?” Piper asked. “With something as serious as your old memories? Why?”

DiMA, as usual, was completely impassive. “If I had a choice, I would consider other possibilities. However, it turns out that we may have a very short window of time to deal with this, and you two symbolize the only likely able people who can finish the job.”

“And if we fail, or we find something in the memories we don’t want to show you?” Solo asked darkly.

DiMA sighed. “If it comes to that, I will understand. This is no small thing I’m asking you to do. I trust the memories will not end up in the hands of someone who will only use them for damage. Myself included.” He glanced at Faraday. “Give them the program when it’s ready, will you?”

“I will. It won’t be finished today, though,” the scientist replied. “Maybe tomorrow evening, if I speed up the process.”

DiMA nodded his assent, turning back to Piper and Solo. “We can set up beds for you here if you need them. If I don’t see you before you set off, I wish you good luck.”

“Thank you,” Piper said graciously. She turned to Solo, beckoning warningly with her eyes. _Let’s go_.

Solo stared at the synth for a few seconds longer, looking more thoughtful than hostile now, and then turned to follow Piper out of the room and towards the observatory’s entrance.

“Where’re we going?” she asked.

“Just out for a walk.”

They didn’t speak again until they were both outside and could see the sky, breathing in the sharp, frigid air. It was almost pitch black save for the areas lit with lanterns and fire barrels, and Piper was awed by how many stars she could see in the firmament above them; even more than she’d seen the night they arrived on the island. They blinked and swirled, twisting into dozens of constellations she didn’t know. It almost looked as if she could scoop them all up in her hands and let them move and touch one another. But she knew they were distant, so far apart that they couldn’t feel the warmth of each other even though they were made of burning fire.

They were a metaphor for many things. Her and Nat, for instance, as she was here and Nat was far away in Diamond City waiting for her to come home. Piper hadn’t forgotten. She was just too scared to think about it.

“I could use some help,” she said suddenly.

Solo dragged her eyes away from the stars to look at Piper instead, her face softly angelic in the near-darkness. “Help?”

The wind picked up suddenly, and Piper crossed her arms over her chest, wishing her coat was at least a little bit thicker. Even her scarf didn’t offer her the warmth she needed. “This isn’t the sort of thing I’d normally bother anyone else with, but you seem like you’re good at listening. You were a lawyer, right? And… if we’re really gonna do this, infiltrate the Children of Atom and risk our lives again, I feel like I need some advice.”

Solo gestured for them to begin walking. "I'll try my best." 

Piper led the way around the side of the observatory, staring at the ground rather than Solo, oddly unable to find the right words. “I’ve got this issue. With my sister.”

“With Nat?” Solo thought about that for a little bit. “What about her?”

“With Nat becoming me.”

Solo’s eyes appraised her inquisitively. “Becoming you?” she repeated.

“I’m just terrified she’ll start taking up like her big sis,” Piper confessed. “I mean, think about the life we lead. No offense intended, Blue, but safety doesn’t seem like either of our strong suits.” She shoved her hands in her pockets. “Our stories can account for that, huh?”

“Well…”

“I can’t have her ending up like her big sister, dodging bullets and running from all the people she pisses off,” Piper added. “It’s part of the reason I’m on the road so much. Part of the reason I’m here with you.”

They were walking down the edge of the mountain now, both hunched against the wind. There wasn’t far they could go without being intercepted by the Fog or Acadia's fence, but it was nice to take a walk after everything they’d just experienced in Acadia. Especially if they might be leaving soon, entering the Fog once again perhaps never to turn back.

“I keep thinking, maybe if I make myself scarce, if I’m not around her as much, she’ll cool off. She’ll just go back to being sweet, innocent Nat, papergirl and all-around upstanding citizen.”

Solo seemed to almost physically bristle at that, glancing at Piper accusingly. “So, you’re just here to get away from Nat?”

Piper smiled, realizing where she’d gone wrong with her words. “Well, I mean, there are other reasons…” she said bashfully. “But right now all I can think about is Nat. What do you think I should do? If I’m making a serious mistake, I need to know.”

Solo’s weary sigh was almost lost to the night and the wind, but Piper heard it. “You don’t get to decide who Nat’s going to be, Piper. She does. All you decide is whether you want to be a part of her life or not.”

That… was a sobering thought. And very, very true. Piper gulped, abruptly feeling guilty. How much had she been part of Nat’s life over the past few years? Every month, she was away for days or weeks on end, following up stories that she wasn’t even that connected to, just to make sure there was distance between them. This trip in particular felt terribly selfish, especially since she’d promised her sister she’d be safe from danger and that she’d be back home soon. Was Nat sitting up at night waiting for her? Did she have nightmares? Was she doing badly at school?

“You’re right,” she murmured. “She’s her own person and always will be.”

“I’m not going to lecture you on all the ways keeping your distance from her is wrong,” Solo said. “Because it might actually be a good thing, for now. But from what I know, being like you isn’t so bad at all, even it means she’ll always be in danger.”

Piper stopped walking, looking Solo in the eye. There was something here, something about this woman that just clicked. Piper wasn’t sure when she’d first realized it, but it was very hard to ignore. It had been a few days at most that they’d been travelling together, but they’d been through the hell of a lot. Their sharing of stories had made Piper feel as if she knew Solo better than she actually did, as if they'd been friends for years. She didn’t want Solo to go home and leave her alone.

“They really don't make them like you anymore,” Piper said quietly. “It may seem weird me saying this, considering we didn't even like each other that much until today... but you're a hell of a friend, you know that?”

Solo’s smile was so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that it sent an unexpected warmth rushing through her. “The feeling's mutual, Piper.”

Piper gazed at her a little while longer, unsure of what to do next, until Solo finally rolled her eyes and reached forwards to hug her. Naturally, Piper stiffened in surprise then frantically tried to relax before Solo realized how strange she was acting. She pressed her hands to Solo’s back over the bulky armor, her cheek landing against her shoulder.

There weren’t many perfumes in the Commonwealth. If you were lucky, you’d find a spare un-smashed bottle in one of the prewar supermarkets, but most people just created bizarre mixtures of water and secret Commonwealth ingredients. Her mom, who had died when she was very little, had used to pay extortionate amounts of caps to a trader so she could by a perfume that smelled of flowers – roses, if Piper remembered correctly. It was a little jarring to find that Solo smelled exactly the same, in this brief moment of proximity. The fragrance was like a time machine, returning her to the one memory she had of her mother.

“I think you’re right,” Solo said into her ear, before pulling back.

Piper blinked at the sudden lack of warmth, a little wary, and struggled to remain impassive. “Huh?”

Solo was grim. “They’d be more likely to initiate you than me. If you want to be the one to go in, I can’t stop you.”

“What're we talking about?” Piper asked in confusion.

There was a short laugh. “The Children of Atom? Retrieving the memories?”

“Oh, right.” Piper dug her hands into her pockets again. “Finally came around, huh?”

“If we get there and it looks too dangerous, I’ll change my mind,” Solo warned her, somewhat protectively. “And you’re going to get me in somehow so we can retrieve the memories _together_. You need to return home safe, especially after what you just told me about Nat. Understand?”

Piper smiled, her excitement taking over. “I understand.”

“Good.” Solo let out a breath, almost of respite. “And you’ll have to avoid being executed again. Or being shot at. Or poisoned…”

“Okay, okay… they won’t know I'm a reporter this time.”

Solo regarded her for a moment, worriedly watching her face. “Nat will be fine, Piper. And so will we. I’ll make sure of it.”

“So, you’re on board for sure?” Piper asked eagerly. “We’re going to the Nucleus?”

Solo stifled a smile. “Are _you_ sure you want to go? Really want to suffer through travelling with me for even longer?”

“I can't imagine anything I'd want more.”

They grinned at each other.

“First things first, though,” Solo said, glancing back over the forest below. “We need to go back to Far Harbor and stock up. I’m not going to be anything less than prepared when we meet with the Children.”


	12. Confidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Throughout their preparations to infiltrate the home of the Children of Atom, Piper struggles with the doubts she has for herself. She and Solo set off to the Nucleus.

The trip back to Far Harbor was made during daytime, and they made it safe and sound even without Old Longfellow to guide them. Of course, there were several beasts and Trappers in their way, but there was something about the stronger partnership they had built which made it easier to deal with danger. Piper finally felt as if she had a greater use, and she knew that Solo would have her back no matter what – and vice versa.

They arrived at the coastal town during the early afternoon and headed straight to The Last Plank to rent the same room as last time. They would be here for a night at maximum, heading for the Nucleus the next morning. Old Longfellow had made it clear that he wanted no business with the Fog, so there was no chance he would be their island guide again. This time, Solo and Piper were in it alone.

Mitch was glad to see them, delivering Piper a very special smile that she was sure meant he wanted to share a drink with her later on. Piper returned his greeting with as little enthusiasm as possible and then escaped to follow Solo upstairs to their room. Never again would she try flirting with someone to get information; in many ways, she preferred it when people ignored her completely.

The noises coming from the sea and the boardwalk outside were very familiar - almost homely - after their short-lived adventure in Acadia, and Piper was pleased to smell salt on the air instead of sharp mountain wind. The room appeared untouched since the last time they had slept in it, with the exception of a new ashtray full of cigarette butts. Solo left her weapons on the bed and took only her bottlecaps out of her bag, heading down to the market to collect everything she needed. Piper stayed in the room, taking the opportunity to write a little more about their journey so far. It had been a while since she’d been able to record what she and Solo had been through. She almost didn’t know where to start.

Saying goodbye to Kasumi before leaving had felt very odd, especially considering she was no longer their primary case. But she was safe in Acadia, safer there than anywhere else, as far as Piper and Solo were concerned. After they’d told her what they’d found, she’d begged them to let her get involved, but they had very firmly told her to stay put. For the sake of her learning the truth she deserved, they would return to tell her what they had learned from DiMA’s memories after their mission was complete.

Piper wasn’t quite sure how to prepare for what she was about to do. Infiltration was a skill she had over Solo, but she wasn’t sure whether going undercover this time would even do them any good. Solo could always shoot everybody and break into the submarine base if things went sideways, but that was something Piper wanted to avoid. So… where to start?

The last time she’d spent a few days with the Children of Atom, she’d almost felt herself going crazy. First things first, she needed to make sure she had her head on straight – that meant pushing all her worries about Nat to the side, as well as all her thoughts about the article she was hoping to write. She and Solo had already agreed that it was unlikely both of them would be let into the base, so Piper would need to make the Children trust her completely if she wanted to get Solo anywhere near the command center. She would also need to scope the place out to see if there was any other way in.

Acting the part of a lunatic was another thing; if they didn’t think she was devoted enough to Atom, they wouldn’t let her in. Luckily, she was a good talker - she could talk her way into and out of any situation. And she had Solo to back her up on anything she said.

“There’s some sort of fish pie for dinner,” Solo grumbled, walking into the room.

Piper jerked her head up, glancing at the window in surprise. It was nighttime – had she seriously been thinking for that long?

“Wow, you haven’t moved at all.” The woman placed a whole bag of ammunition and medicine on her bed and pulled off her knit cap, running her fingers through shining white locks of hair. She was smiling a little, but seemed disapproving. “What, are you worried?”

“Yeah,” Piper said dryly, closing her notebook. “Worried if I stay with the Children of Atom too long, my teeth will start falling out – and I don’t think I’d make a pretty ghoul.”

“I’ve got enough RadAway for the both of us,” Solo reassured her. She sat down on her own bed, facing Piper. “Anything else you’re worried about? And be serious.”

“Just… pulling it off, I suppose,” Piper admitted reluctantly. “I always run into danger on purpose just to get good stories, but I’ve never really done anything as crazy as this. The moment the Children figure out I’m a fraud, they’ll be throwing me into a sea of radioactive waste without so much as a goodbye.”

Solo shrugged. “Maybe you’ll gain superpowers,” she said lightly. “You could come back with a vengeance.”

“Very funny, Blue.” Piper leaned her chin on her hand, deciding to change the subject. “What’re you gonna do while I’m in there? Put any thought to it?”

“I’ll be close-by whenever you need me,” she said. “I can set up a camp near the Nucleus, keep watch, wait for you to give me the call. If you don’t need me… some of these Far Harbor people will.”

“Uh-huh.” Piper glanced up at her knowingly. “So now you’re helping these people out of the good of your own heart? What the hell happened to you?”

Solo didn’t reply to that, turning as if she hadn’t heard her and beginning to shove everything she’d just bought into her bag. After a moment’s thought, she grabbed two handfuls of the radiation medicine and stood, carrying them over to Piper. “Keep these on you. I can renew them once they run out.”

Piper hesitated. “I’ve got my own. I can just-”

“Just take it,” she said firmly, dumping the medicine on the end of her mattress. “I honestly don’t think you’d make for a pretty ghoul either.”

“Ouch.”

She flashed a grin and returned to her bed, beginning to sort through the ammunition. Piper watched her for a little while, feeling surprisingly fond of the other woman. Out of all the people she knew, she only wanted Solo watching her back. Who better than someone with all the skills and firepower of the Brotherhood but the goodwill and compassion of the Minutemen to back her up? Piper had heard from Valentine a long time ago that Solo used to be involved with the Minutemen, but the woman hadn’t mentioned them once since they began travelling together. What was the story there?

Piper tucked her notebook into her bag, grabbed a change of clean clothes, and left the room to find the shared bathroom outside on the landing. After her shower, she peered at her face in the mirror, saying a heartfelt goodbye to the smooth skin and thick hair. She doubted it would be the same once she’d sucked up some rads. She brushed her hair and changed into another pair of stitched trousers and one of the shirts she had washed so many times that it had turned a bleached rosy colour. It had been a while since she’d gotten herself or Nat some new clothes. Maybe when she got back to Diamond City – _if_ she got back – she could visit Fallon’s Basement and renew her wardrobe. God, she hoped she got back.

When she returned to the room, Piper idly paused in the doorway, realizing Solo was playing the radio on her Pip-Boy. One of her favourite songs – “The End Of The World” – was echoing out from its tinny speakers, and Solo had it pressed up to her ear, lying back on her pillow.

“That’s one of my favourites,” Piper commented. She dumped her clothes on her bed and turned to see a mildly surprised look on her friend’s face.

“Mine too.”

“I guess great minds think alike,” Piper responded cheerfully. “Now… what did you say about fish pie?”

 ---

After a long night of restless sleep (though Solo slept fine, to Piper’s chagrin), they set off from Far Harbor. Some of the locals had helped Solo mark the map on her Pip-Boy so they knew where they were going, but there was no telling what monsters would be standing in their way. It was almost midday at this point, and they hadn’t encountered anything yet. Solo almost seemed disappointed about the lack of danger.

When they stopped for a rest in the remains of an old house, Piper offered Solo some bubblegum and they sat chewing and watching the road. The sun was a glowing spot of light that struggled to break through the clouds – at least there _was_ sun, for once – and the worst patches of Fog had slithered away into the shadows. Piper didn’t want to let her guard down, but she did feel much safer than usual. As they began walking again, Solo preferring to remain quiet as usual, Piper allowed her mind to roam to other places. She thought about Acadia and Kasumi, and how much everything had escalated since they took on her case. She thought about home in Diamond City, and whether Nat was skipping school again to sell papers. Not that there was anything to sell. Piper had been away too long.

She also thought about Christmas, and how soon it was – the chill was enough of a reminder. Was Solo really going to get her a working camera? How? And what kind of present should she get in return? What would a two-hundred-year-old prewar relic want for Christmas?

It was a stupid thing to be worrying about when Piper was about to risk her life infiltrating the Children of Atom, but for some reason it had been on her mind quite a lot lately.

“Pipes – watch out!”

She flinched immediately at the sound of alarm in Solo’s voice, but had reacted too late to draw her weapon and combat the ghoul lunging at her. It gurgled with rabid hunger, lashing at her face with yellowed claws, mouth reaching to latch onto her neck, and Piper yelped and stumbled backwards automatically. One bite from that thing, and she’d be suffering from serious radiation poisoning.

The ghoul threw itself at her, stinking of rotten flesh, and she felt its claws digging into the arms she held up to protect herself with, growling furiously. Acting instinctively, Piper shoved with both arms to put some distance between them and then reached hurriedly for her gun as the ghoul lunged once more –

And it jerked to a stop, its second growl cut short as a sharp blade plunged through its bony chest. The ghoul wheezed and collapsed to the ground, Solo wiping off her knife and shooting Piper a stern glare. “If you can’t even watch your back out here, how the hell’re you going to do it inside the Nucleus?”

Piper slid her pistol back into her holster, breathing out a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry, I was lost in thought.”

“Are you hurt?”

“You got it just in time,” Piper said brightly. “I’m fine.”

Solo muttered something irritably under her breath, kicking at the ghoul’s corpse. “Lucky there weren’t any more of them. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t get ‘lost in thought’ from now on.”

“I’ll try not to,” Piper said, though she was a little ticked off that Solo was making her feel like a child. She’d have dealt with the ghoul either way, and she had plenty of stimpacks if she happened to get hurt. She was tired of Solo underestimating her.

“Let’s go,” she muttered.

They set off again, and this time the silence between them wasn’t so comfortable. Piper struggled to keep her mind in the present and focus on their surroundings, but truthfully the mission ahead was messing with all of her senses. Solo had said they would both survive this, but what if she didn’t and never got to go home to Nat? What if she just disappeared and her little sister never knew what had happened to her?

Piper swallowed down the hopeless thoughts. _Jeez, Piper, get it together_ , she thought exasperatedly. _Anything for a story, remember?_

“We’ll make camp here,” Solo said, drawing her out of her thoughts once again.

Piper nodded, examining the foundations of what once had been a cottage in the middle of this forest, crumbled to pieces. She climbed inside, pleased to find they had several walls to act as windbreakers when the chill picked up in the night. It had been about a week or so since she’d had to sleep on the ground, and she wasn’t looking forward to it.

Solo dragged an old discarded trashcan over to the corner of their camp and started a fire inside it, burning some of the old bank notes she’d looted. She smiled down at the smoking money, shaking her head. “This’ll never get old.”

“You could’ve traded it for caps,” Piper pointed out, already rolling out her sleeping bag.

“Not many.” Solo settled the trashcan against the wall, sighing as she felt the heat it was giving off, and then took off her bomber jacket. 

Piper sat on top of her sleeping bag, not bothering to remove any articles of clothing. She could already sense it was going to be a cold night. “Who’s keeping watch first tonight?”

Solo yanked her sleeping bag out, unrolling it on the floor across from Piper’s and blowing some loose hair out of her face. “As long we lay low and we’re not making any noise, we should both be able to get some sleep. But I can stay up for a little while to make sure.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Piper said idly. “I won’t be able to sleep anyway.”

Solo sat down, staring across at her. “You realize we’re arriving at the Nucleus tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that’s why, Blue.”

There was some concern in Solo’s expression, but she didn’t push Piper any further. Instead, she began tearing open a box of Salisbury Steaks and preparing dinner.

Darkness fell as they ate until they were satisfied, and the Fog eventually surrounded them entirely. They were definitely far from the safety of Fog Condensers out here. Other than the darkness and their little campsite, all that seemed to exist was the wind edging past the building’s crumbling walls. Piper sat shivering, sullenly gazing at the flames as Solo got ready for bed. The dampness of the nearby Fog was making her clothes feel freezing, so she hugged her knees to her chest in an effort to keep warm, inching closer to the fire.

Solo glanced over at her worriedly again, as she’d done repeatedly since they’d made camp. “You sure you can’t sleep?”

“I don’t know,” Piper sighed. “There’s too much on my mind. I should probably get some writing done.”

“It’s cold.”

Piper let out a short, sharp breath, watching it turn to steam as it met the air. “Sure is.”

Without warning, Solo stood up and dragged her sleeping bag over so it was right next to Piper’s and they were both close to the fire. She laid down and left one side of her sleeping bag unzipped, pulling her knit cap over her head again. “It’ll get much colder, you know. Better to try and sleep now so you don’t suffer.”

Piper frowned. “You don’t give up, do ya?”

“Just trying to help,” she said.

With a world-weary huff of assent, Piper unwrapped her scarf and took off her press cap, climbing into her sleeping bag as well and zipping it similarly to Solo’s. She didn’t exactly know what leaving one side open was for, but she did it anyway. And then, without warning, the other woman reached gingerly for her arm and tugged. Piper frowned, but moved closer still, feeling like she’d be crossing some boundary soon enough. Solo stopped, looking amused. “Have you never shared body heat before?”

Piper finally understood. “You have?”

“With a dog.” Solo rolled over with her back to her, but she was still nevertheless close enough for Piper to feel her body heat. Piper rolled over too, her back pressing against Solo’s, and tucked an arm under her head. She definitely felt drowsy now.

“I’m sincerely hoping that dog didn’t have fleas.”

Solo’s chuckle was barely audible. “Nah. He was a good boy.”

Everything was all right, and would be all right. Piper needed to repeat that like a mantra, all the way until they reached the submarine base tomorrow. She’d save the worrying for when she was actually inside.

“Goodnight, Pipes,” Solo mumbled.

Even through both of their clothes, Piper could feel her heat radiating through. She relaxed into it, letting her eyes droop closed again. “Night, Blue.”

 ---

The next day, Piper felt newly energized. She woke up with her back still pressed to Solo’s, feeling as if she could take on the world. For breakfast, they finished what was left of the powdered eggs and Nuka Cola. Without taking too long to ponder anything, they packed up their sleeping bags and left their makeshift campsite, returning to the road they’d been following. Soon, they would need to pass through some rivers and deep forest, and Piper was only now feeling ready for them.

Most of her bullets of the day were used on feral ghouls – they crept out from every nook and cranny, every rusting shell of every car, thriving in the Fog and consistently thirsty for blood. Piper hated them. They also ran into Anglers as they were crossing one of the river channels, not realizing that the creatures had the ability to disguise themselves as some of the area’s native growing plants.

They ran for their lives.

It was nearing midday once more, and they were travelling deeper and deeper into the Fog, their visibility reduced greatly. Solo and Piper had to stick very close together in order to avoid losing sight of one another, and they were therefore forced to move much slower. Piper was growing accustomed to the constant clicking of the Geiger-counter – even more so the green tinge of the air around them, dense with radiation. They had to stop momentarily to take some Rad-X and RadAway, but they didn’t wait for long.

Solo finally mentioned that they were closing in on the checkpoint she’d marked on her Pip-Boy, and Piper found her energy renewed. They were stomping through undergrowth by now, avoiding the twisted branches of dead trees, and there were many more terrifying sounds in the Fog. If anything, this meant that they were nearly at its birthplace. Piper was struggling to breathe in the thick air, and every foreign noise made her hairs stand on end.

“Okay, stop.” Solo stopped walking very suddenly. “We’re very close. It’s just over that hill there.”

Piper took a moment to catch her breath, taking a sip from a can of purified water. “You’re going to let me do the talking, right?”

“Obviously.” Solo smirked at her. “You ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Remember – you’re trying to get us both in first.”

Piper nodded, her eyes squinting at the top of the hill. “I know.”

“And if things go sour, please don’t get angry at me for killing every last one of them.”

There was a rather hostile tone to her voice that made Piper feel better; safer. “I give you permission to do that if it’s necessary,” she said seriously. “Uh… but try not to shoot unless they shoot at us, okay?”

“Fair enough.” Solo switched out the ammunition for her laser pistol, tucking it back into its holster when she was done. There was something very clinical and cold about how she prepared for a fight, and Piper couldn’t help but admit that it scared her a little. Her traveling partner was a formidable opponent.

“One last thing: this will be where we meet,” Solo clarified. “When you can get out without it looking too suspicious, just find me here. I’ll set up camp somewhere nearby.”

Piper nodded brusquely. She was rapidly starting to lose confidence in herself, even though she knew she could do this for sure. Clearing her throat, she nodded up the hill. “Guess we should get going.”


	13. Uranium Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper pushes herself to the limit in order to prove herself to the Children of Atom.

Solo winced as her Geiger-counter continued to click faster and faster. Once they’d reached the top of the hill, there was nothing left but to descend through a cloud of thick Fog. Solo made sure to keep Piper close, eyes on the crimson red of her coat as she led the way down the hill. They kept on passing banners of worn fabric displaying the Children of Atom symbols. They had even strung lights along the path – glowing lanterns full of radiation that showed them the way. It was pretty, but only made Solo feel more anxious about the idea of Piper possibly going in there alone.

Solo had once entered the Institute completely alone, almost dying in the process. She knew that such infiltration was possible, and getting past the Children of Atom would be much easier than teleporting into the Institute. She still didn’t feel at all at ease. All the worst-case scenarios kept on flowing through her head in an endless loop, but she had a sense that it was her job to show strength and embody the way forward, keeping her own fears to herself. Piper was already nervous enough at it was.

Finally, the Fog cleared slightly and they could see the entrance to the submarine base ahead of them through the stunted trees. It had been fenced in with wooden walls and glowing yellow lanterns, looking strangely welcoming.

“Here goes,” Solo muttered under her breath.

They passed through the entrance, coming to a stop the moment they realized they were not alone. Five Children stood outside the base’s door, three of them dressed in full armor upon which Atom’s holy symbols had been painted. The other two looked more like the Children Solo was used to, with ragged hair that was falling out in chunks and ripped green robes. It was evident, even from here, that those two were being kept out of the base by the guards.

“Richter, please,” one of them was begging – a man with a nasally voice. “You can’t do this. We’ve been loyal-”

“It’s Grand Zealot to you,” the central guard replied calmly. He had the most hair out of any of them, and he looked surprisingly unaffected by the radiation. “Your dedication has come into doubt. You need to prove your faith. One of you may return to the fold. The other… will return to Atom.”

Piper stiffened, and Solo glanced over at her worriedly. This wasn’t looking good at all.

The same man stepped forward, his voice rising. “Richter – this is insane! You can’t expect us to-”

In a very quick, smooth movement, the second Child drew her gun and shot him right between the shoulder blades. The force of the radioactive pulses sent his blood splattering all over the wooden floor, and he collapsed almost in pieces with nothing more than a wheeze. Clinically, the woman placed her gun back inside her robes and stood to attention once again.

Piper was still frozen, but her expression was one of fierce determination.

It wasn’t hard to believe that the Children of Atom would be privy to the brutal killing of their comrades. After all, all that mattered to any of them was their radiation god. They could replace each other easily.

“Will there be anything else?” the woman asked easily.

Richter’s face hadn’t changed at all. “That’ll be all, sister.”

She bowed her head respectfully and moved to walk past him, her chin held high. She would live another day to serve Atom. The truly sad thing about lunatics was that they didn’t realize how crazy they were.

“Let’s go,” Piper muttered, her eyes glittering murderously. She began walking towards the entrance with confidence in her stride, and Solo had no choice but to follow.

As they came into view of the guards, all of them simultaneously raised their weapons, faces displaying their distrust. Piper remained outwardly unaffected, stopping in front of the man who had called himself Grand Zealot. She looked haughty, though Solo knew it was all an act. May the show begin…

“You,” Richter barked. “What are you doing here? Did Far Harbor send you?”

Piper smiled coldly. “Far Harbor can rot for all I care.”

“Hmph… hear no argument from me.” Richter lowered his weapon immediately, his face much less guarded. Up close, Solo realized how manicured he looked, with a boot camp-esque shaved head and a well-trimmed beard. If not for the Atom symbol drawn across half of his face, he could even look like he belonged in the Brotherhood.

“So, explain to me why you’re trespassing on sacred ground,” he said. “Unless… you’re here seeking a place among Atom’s children?”

Piper met Solo’s eyes only fleetingly. “In the Commonwealth, I was made an official acolyte of the Children. My friend and I came here when we learned of the power of the Glow. If you would take us… yes, we would be interested in joining.”

Richter’s eyes moved from Piper to Solo now, taking in her full armor and the weaponry she was carrying. He looked both suspicious and unimpressed. “Decisions of who may enter our family, we leave to Atom. However, we are now one member short…”

All of their eyes graced the corpse of the dead man on the floor. Solo sighed, realizing she had absolutely no chance of entering the base. That was that – Piper was in this alone.

“So you can only take one of us?”

“The acolyte would be best,” Richter said, gazing at Piper. “But you’ll have to perform a ritual. Prove yourself worthy in His eyes.”

Solo braced to hear what this ritual would be. If it was anything to do with shooting somebody else, she wouldn’t hesitate to pull her gun and place a bullet between the man’s eyes. She didn’t want Piper to have to go through that.

“I’ll do what Atom requires,” Piper said confidently.

“Let us hope he deems you fit.” Richter turned to the left, glancing out over the walls. “There is a small spring not far from here. Drink from it. Follow where it leads. You come back, we’ll discuss you joining the faithful.”

“Consider it done,” Piper said quickly.

Richter pointed at Solo. “ _You_ will stay here."

“What?” Solo glanced at Piper, then returned her eyes to him. “Why?”

“The journey to finding Atom is one we must take alone. Only if she overcomes all obstacles by herself will she be deemed fit for entrance into our fold,” Richter explained. “Again, I must insist you stay here.”

Solo wanted to protest, draw her gun and ruin it all. But Piper’s warning look was enough to calm her down. She was going to do it, head out there alone to this spring and do whatever “Atom” told her to. She was putting herself in danger, and Solo wouldn’t even be able to back her up.

She pleaded, “Pipes… you shouldn’t-”

“The Grand Zealot is right,” Piper said, glancing away. “You should stay here.”

Solo bit her tongue. If something happened to Piper and she didn’t manage to get back home to her little sister, Solo would blame herself. But if Piper had survived this long after constantly getting into danger, surely she could carry out this one task by herself. It was time for Solo to stop underestimating her and give her space to succeed.

Nodding reluctantly, Solo pulled her laser pistol from its holster at her hip and handed it to Piper. Their eyes met, and Piper didn’t look scared at all. “Thanks, Blue,” she murmured.

“Good luck.”

Piper took the pistol and tucked it into her bag, nodding her goodbyes. And then she turned and headed in the direction Richter had been looking, passing through a doorway in the wood. She would never be safe out there in the Fog, not with all of the island’s monsters on the hunt, but… she could take care of herself. Solo trusted that.

She kept her eyes on Piper for as long as she could as the woman crossed a boardwalk over the lake outside, disappearing into the forest beyond. Once she was gone, Solo tried to take a deep breath to calm her nerves. She’d give it an hour until she started worrying for real and went after her. She had a feeling that time would pass by very slowly while Piper was gone.

 ---

The Fog was much scarier now that she was alone. The trees were all veiled in the lightest of mists, their trunks hidden and their branches looming out of nowhere. As Piper's eyes traveled to either side of her track, they became silhouettes, as if it was only daylight where she stood. The Fog was suffocating, too, creeping around her like a blanket of thick white.

 _Find a spring, drink its water, and follow where it leads._ Piper didn’t entirely understand the instructions. Was she meant to follow where the spring lead, or was she supposed to follow some sort of holy guiding light? Could she maybe make something up before returning, or would that ruin the progress she’d made?

There was also no telling whether she’d be drinking from the right spring. Surely she’d know it when she saw it?

The further she traveled through the forest, the colder it became, until she was hunching her shoulders and blinking hard against the wind. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been walking for, but she was definitely quite far from the submarine base now. Very far from Solo, who would make her feel _much_ safer out here. The worry she saw in her eyes hadn’t exactly given Piper confidence before she left. But this was her chance to prove that she was strong, and smart, and much more powerful than her friend thought she was.

The forest thinned out very suddenly, and Piper heard the crackling of thunder overhead as she crossed an old road and edged around two overlapping ponds. She was already sensing the buzzing, ill feeling of radiation. Feeling her heart rate speed up with panic, Piper stopped to take some RadAway and Rad-X, plunging the needles into her arm without much thought.

She continued on, ignoring the thunder and flashing lightning through the Fog overhead. The noises around her repeatedly made her flinch, but she knew that she wouldn’t be attacked unless she herself made a lot of noise. The Fog reduced visibility for everyone, blanketing all senses.

Piper was forced to stop very suddenly as she saw fast movement ahead of her, instinctively drawing her pistol. It was large, with a tail and a flattened head – a Gulper. Actually, _two_.

She didn’t think she wanted to face them off out here. Carefully, she crouched down behind a rock and waited for them to pass, hearing their growling and gurgling become distant. Once she felt safer, and she was sure she couldn’t hear or see them anymore, Piper stood up and continued through the Fog.

One pond stretched into two, and then three and four, until Piper realized she was actually attempting to cross a gigantic lake. Surely the spring she was meant to drink from would be close-by to here. Piper chose a side, and began to edge around the lake, watching out for monsters. As the trees began move in on her again, she passed an old logging cabin which provided momentary shelter as she stopped for her rest. There were two ghouls out back who awoke from their slumber the moment they sensed her presence. Piper shot them both in the head, bursting their skulls. The bullets were very loud, and she left the cabin quickly to avoid drawing every beast in the area to her location.

Piper saw the first lantern on an island in the middle of a lake – the second was on the bank across from her. These were the same lanterns the Children of Atom had been using in their base, so Piper knew instantly that they were providing a path to the spring. She sped up, following them as they led back into the forest on the other side of the lake, stepping over fallen logs and ducking under branches.

Finally, she could see a whole cluster of lanterns spread over jutting rocks. And she could hear running water – the tinkling and bubbling of a stream. She’d finally arrived.

The water of the spring was foggy and green, and Piper knew better than to touch it with any part of her body. Barrels of radioactive waste had been tossed into the water, literally turning it into liquid uranium. The stream she was supposed to drink from looked slightly less green, but Piper expected it would have just as much radiation in it. What she was about to do could either kill her or make all her hair fall out.

 _Anything for a story, Piper_ , she thought to herself, gritting her teeth as she took off her bag and placed it on the ground. It was time to get this over with.

Piper crossed the pond, walking along a log which was suspended over the water. As she approached the wall of rock, she felt an odd warmth radiating up at her from the water. This was bound to be a terrible experience, perhaps even more terrible than chugging moonshine.

Piper stopped by the running water, staring at it as it ran over the rocks. She held her hand out, and when the water touched her palm it froze her even through her glove. She grimaced, cupping her hand to capture some of the stream. _Here goes_.

She brought the water to her mouth and took a deep sip, shutting her eyes tightly against the incredibly bitter taste. Very quickly, she stepped back from the stream and returned to the side of the pond, feeling the freezing liquid travelling down her throat.

The symptoms were immediate.

Her throat seemed to close up, and she began coughing hard, trying to clear her airway. Her vision blurred, and her legs wobbled so much that she had to sit down, unable to stand up straight. And the pain in her chest was excruciating, tender enough that she considered she might even be dying. The world seemed to zoom and grow around her, throbbing along with her heartbeat. It all seemed to be tinged with green.

Through her fuzzy vision, a dark shape appeared above her, standing on the top of the rocks. Fumbling and still coughing, Piper drew her pistol and shot wildly at it, panicking. Her bullets passed straight through.

Was that… a ghost?

The whisper it made seemed to seep through her very pores. “ _Follow…_ ”

The pain had faded to a dull throb, and she was no longer coughing, so Piper struggled to her feet and grabbed her bag, feeling herself sweating through her clothes. The figure gestured with one arm, pointing past the stream into the forest.

“ _Follow…_ ” it said again.

Piper blinked, expecting it to go away, but it didn’t. Her head was whirling. With her pistol still clutched in one hand, she began stumbling in the direction the figure had been pointing, glancing around warily. If something attacked her now, she wouldn’t be able to protect herself – her vision was too blurry.

The figure drifted to meet her as she climbed the rocks, her legs shaking. It was the shadow of a woman, but Piper couldn’t see any of her features, just her outline. “W-who are you?” Piper gasped.

“ _Follow…_ ”

The figure turned and began running deeper into the forest, floating effortlessly over the ground. Piper followed, her curiosity getting the better of her. Her vision continued to throb as she stumbled over sticks and branches in her way, falling several times as she struggled to keep up with the ghost.

“ _Atom’s realm_ ,” the woman breathed. “ _Children’s land…_ ”

The trees around them seemed to be glowing, and Piper was a little awed by them, unable to draw her eyes away. How could radiation possibly be so beautiful?

They crossed a pond, water soaking through Piper’s shoes and freezing her feet, but she hardly cared. She was too focused on the figure of darkness running in front of her. On the other side of the pond, monsters were waiting for them – Gulpers, that seemed oddly subdued, were standing there watching her. Piper flinched away from them, but they made no move towards her. 

An odd cry rung out through the mist, but the figure kept on running. Piper threw herself to the side as a glowing radstag appeared abruptly, galloping past her. Were these things real? Was she hallucinating?

They were on a road now, and only Piper’s feet made any noise as they hit the tarmac. The woman seemed to float just inches off the ground, as if she was made of Fog herself. As they passed a windmill, Piper saw that it was full of feral ghouls, and they were all watching her like the Gulpers had, twisted smiles on their rotting faces. Blood ringing in her ears, Piper glanced away. She was definitely having a bad trip. 

As they crossed over a fallen log, a beast so large and odd-looking caught Piper by surprise. It was standing on top of a rock and gazing down at them, and all Piper could see was its oblong body and sharp crab-like claws. And eyes that seemed to glow through the Fog, burning into her. It was the most monstrous of all the beasts she’d seen on the island.

The primal cries and barks Piper could hear overhead transformed into laughter – happy laughter. A child’s laughter. Her mind instantly went to Nat, and she panicked slightly as she wondered if Nat was here too. Was she safe? Would she be alright?

The figure stopped running abruptly, and Piper passed right through her like she was a cloud of smoke. She stopped running too, catching her breath and coughing again. Raising its arm slowly, the figure pointed towards the building down below – yet another place which had been lit with Children of Atom lanterns. “ _There…_ ” the figure whispered.

It didn’t look safe at all. Piper could see many shapes moving through the Fog – feral ghouls – and this time she wasn’t sure they weren’t hallucinations. How would Piper know what was real? She felt her hands shaking around her pistol, her throat growing drier.

“ _There…_ ” the figure whispered again. And then, like smoke diffusing into the air, it vanished. Piper was left standing outside the building alone, surrounded by foreign noises and seeing everything in a green blur. She needed Solo here to watch her back. She didn’t think she’d be able to do anything in this state.

But she’d have to. Unslinging one strap of her bag, Piper took out the laser pistol as well so that she had a gun in each hand. She had no idea how much ammunition Solo had given her, but it must be enough.

Feverishly, she thought, _I love you Nat. You’ll be okay without me_.

She readied herself, taking a deep breath, and then descended towards the building, pistols held high. Whatever god really was out there, she prayed they would let her survive this.

 ---

Piper dragged herself up against the door, gasping, her whole face smarting and her arm held close to her chest. She could tell she was bleeding a lot, but she wasn’t sure the wounds were too fatal. One of the ghouls had tried to take a bite out of her. Another had tossed her to the ground and tried to rip her apart. Both had been blasted to pieces using the last fusion cells in the laser pistol. Her own pistol was gone completely – she’d lost it after fighting the first wave of ghouls, and she didn’t think she’d get it back in this state.

Bending at the waist, Piper upheaved, most of the spring water coming out with all the food she’d eaten that day. Her whole body was throbbing, her vision still moving and green-tinted. She’d made it, but she could be dying. Her legs failed to support her, and she slid to a sitting against the door, her vision turning completely black for a few seconds.

When she came to, her sight was still incredibly blurry but her stomach was no longer heaving. She sat there just breathing for a long while, blood running down her face, and tried to imagine the look on Solo’s face when she returned in this state. It wasn’t going to be pretty.

Forcing herself to stand, Piper leaned against the door’s handle and threw herself inside, inhaling the musty air inside the room. There was a low growl, and Piper stumbled to the side as a feral ghoul grabbed at her hungrily, claws closing over her neck. She kicked at it, yelling and shoving it against the wall. With the pistol, she used all the strength in her good arm to smash its skull in, bringing it down several times until the creature went limp. Breathing heavily, Piper stumbled again, struggling to remain conscious.

Her wounds didn’t hurt anymore, and she felt that was a very bad thing. Despite this, Piper kept on moving, stumbling over to the security-locked cage in the corner of the room. There was something inside it, a shrine of sorts. She needed to get in somehow. Her fingers found the terminal’s keyboard, and she blinked at the screen, the words and numbers blurring too much for her to read them.

“Shit…” she murmured. “Must be some clue around here.”

She fumbled with all the burnt textbooks and papers on the tables, searching for something obvious which could clue her into the password. Nothing stood out to her. And then, beside the terminal, she stopped to stare at the side of one of the lockers. Someone had painted periodic table elements in white paint: Mo, Th and Er.

 _Mother_? Could that be the password?

Piper typed it into the terminal, a sudden rush of energy consuming her as she passed through the security immediately. With a flourish, she selected the option to open the cage’s doors and stepped back.

There was a desk inside, littered with dozens of candles and lanterns. A letter and a wooden carving sat on its surface, and Piper picked both up triumphantly, smiling despite the pain of her face. She’d done it – she’d really done it. And she’d been all by herself.

Not everyone drank from irradiated springs, hallucinated a ghost, and fought several waves of hungry ghouls just to discover a piece of wood in a shrine. And all this just to infiltrate the Children's base. Figures.

Piper took off her bag and tucked the wooden carving inside, trying not to consider the fact that it exactly resembled the ghostly figure which had led her here. Worshiping the atom didn't seem so crazy when you realized what it was capable of... wait, no, she heard it now. That did sound crazy. She didn’t want to become one of those lunatics, even after everything she’d seen.

She took a quick glance at the piece of paper, but it didn’t make much sense:

_toThisSHRINEretreat_

_uponATOMthink_

_knowHisSERVANTSwatch_

She shook her head and tucked it into her bag too. Whatever. Now, she needed to find her way back to the submarine base without getting killed.

She took RadAway and a stimpack out of her bag, injecting both in her upper arm. It wouldn’t be enough to heal her wounds just yet, but she would at least be able to make it back to the submarine base in one piece. So long as she didn’t get attacked by anything else or lost in the forest...

Piper tucked the laser pistol away too, realizing it didn’t have much use anymore, and then left the building as it was. It was time to return victorious and take her place among the Children of Atom.

Her job had only just begun.


	14. What Atom Requires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper infiltrates the Nucleus, going fully undercover as one of the Children of Atom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've done so many more updates than I expected to this week, and some of them might not be up to scratch... but I hope you're glad anyway! Unfortunately, I'll have to start making much less frequent updates again from now on. I'll try to make it weekly, but I can't promise anything. If my inspiration is up and I'm desperate to procrastinate, you could continue to see updates this fast all the time...  
> We're a little past halfway now in the story, I think. No spoilers, but there is some romancy stuff coming up in a little bit, so hold on to your seats. Thanks for reading!

Solo couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw Piper strolling past the entrance, walking with her head held high despite the fact she was absolutely covered in blood and looked as pale as a ghost. Solo jumped to her feet, looking her up and down for injuries, noticing that her clothes looked more torn up than usual.

“Piper, are you-”

“I’m fine,” she said calmly. Her eyes betrayed that she was not fine, however. She looked absolutely exhausted, haunted beyond belief. What the hell had happened?

Richter, who had been chatting with the other guards, turned the moment he heard her voice. The expression on his face was one of genuine surprise that only made Solo feel angrier – he had sent her to her death, hadn’t he? He’d thought she wouldn’t return alive. Piper had done a good job of proving him completely wrong.

“You’re back,” Richter said, walking over. “More than I expected. Did Atom reveal something to you?”

“I drank from the spring and was led to this statue,” Piper clarified. Out of her bag, she drew a small wooden monument that she handed over. “Uh… was it supposed to be by a creepy woman?”

“A woman?” Richter glanced up from the statue, his surprise even greater. “What woman? What did you see?”

Solo had no idea whether Piper was making this up or not – she was that good an actor. Whatever she’d really been though, Solo doubted she’d ever hear all the details. It was something Piper had braved alone.

“It was… otherworldly,” Piper said. “The woman, she was like a living shadow, cloaked in mist…”

“Atom above,” Richter murmured. “You really did see her. The Mother of the Fog.”

Piper seemed a little taken aback by this. She hesitated, eyes falling, but quickly took on her false confidence again. “Of course, the Mother of the Fog,” she said flatly.

“The Mother is a messenger from Atom. Acts as a guide to those important to His plans and the future of this family. She’s the one who led the first of us to this place. And if she revealed herself to you…” He cocked his head. “I’d say the path He’s lain for you is clear. If you are prepared to take the next step, then I believe there is a place for you among Atom’s children.”

Piper’s smile was dazzling, one of absolute triumph. Despite all her worries about how this would play out, Solo had to admit she was proud of her. She had gotten herself in.

Now, all they needed to deal with was gaining the Children’s trust and getting into the command center so they could steal DiMA’s memories.

“I’m ready to follow His path,” Piper said.

“Then it will be so.”

Piper sounded so genuine that Solo was having a hard time believing she hadn’t just gone crazy. Somehow, she had come up with this Mother of the Fog story and it had been credible. Was it just a coincidence? Solo stared at her in awe, taking in the victorious light burning in her eyes.

Richter handed the wooden carving back to Piper. “Head inside and present the icon to the High Confessor once his sermon is done. He’ll be interested to see that. Once you’ve spoken with him, you should come see me. Have a task I think you’d be useful for. And… here – some more appropriate attire.” He also handed her some neatly folded robes, and Piper tucked them into her bag. “But know this – we are all devoted servants to Atom here. Messenger or no, actions against the family will not be tolerated.”

That thinly veiled threat was enough to dull the light from Piper’s eyes. She would constantly need to watch her back if she didn’t want to end up like the man who’d died when they first arrived. Getting their trust might be harder than she and Solo had thought.

Richter glanced at Solo. “I suggest you clear out, stranger. There’s no place for outsiders here.”

“I’ll just say goodbye,” Piper said quickly. “Then she’ll leave.”

Richter nodded reluctantly, and Piper quickly reached for Solo’s hand and dragged her back towards the compound’s entrance, far enough that the guards could not hear them. Solo grinned at her friend in amazement once they’d stopped.

“How’d you come up with that whole Mother of the Fog thing?” she demanded. “It worked _perfectly_.”

Piper looked slightly uncomfortable. “I didn’t come up with it, Blue. It’s… hard to explain.”

“Are you hurt?” Solo peered at her face, searching for cuts, but it appeared she had used a stimpack to close them up.

“Not anymore,” Piper said.

“I…” Solo hesitated, bashful all of a sudden. “I’m really glad you’re okay, Pipes.”

Piper’s smile was well worth her feeling of awkwardness. “Your gun saved me,” she said. She held it out, empty of bullets, and Solo realized that her 10mm pistol had disappeared. She made a split-second decision, pushing Piper’s hand away.

“You keep it. You need something to protect yourself with in there, right?”

“So do you.”

“I’ve got plenty of weapons,” Solo retorted. “I’m Brotherhood, remember?”

“Right.” Piper gratefully put the pistol back in her bag.

“You can take the fusion cells too,” Solo added. She reached into her bag and handed over the pouch full of ammunition. It felt weird to be giving away something so useful, but she was certain that Piper would be in more danger over the next few days than she would be.

Piper sighed once they had finished the exchange, and Solo could see the stress written all over her face. If she could have gone with her to collect that icon, she would have. Anything so Piper wouldn’t have to be alone. But this was how it had to be.

“We can meet tonight,” Solo offered. “I’ll watch the guards and send you a signal when it’s safe. You’ve got the transmitter, right?”

Piper dug around in her bag and showed Solo the radio transmitter they had taken from Acadia. It was the only way of communicating while she was inside – Solo could send her morse messages, and she’d be able to send them back. “I’ll probably be sent on a mission soon anyway,” Piper said. “Richter said he had a task for me.”

“Find out what it is,” Solo told her firmly. “And give me the details tonight. You know where the camp will be.”

Piper nodded. “Thanks, Blue.”

“I need you to stay safe in there. If there’s trouble, or anything-”

“I’ll send you a message,” she interrupted. “I promise.”

“Good.” Solo hesitated, still unsure about the idea of letting her go in alone. This sort of thing was for soldiers and spies, not a reporter with a little sister waiting for her back at home.

Piper stepped forward and flung her arms around Solo in a tight hug. Caught off guard, Solo hugged her back just as tightly, allowing herself to close her eyes and take comfort in the embrace for a second. “You’ll be okay,” she murmured into Piper’s ear, though she was really trying to convince herself.

Piper smirked, stepping away and looking amused. “I’ll be the most devoted Children of Atom member anyone’s ever seen, just you wait. They’ll love me. There’s nothing to worry about, Blue.”

“Ha-ha.” Solo nodded her head towards the entrance. “Go on, then. Have fun settling in. Call if you need me.”

Piper flashed her a grin and was off, walking back towards the submarine base’s front door. Solo watched Piper disappear inside with Richter behind her, sincerely hoping everything would go to plan. It could take a week or two to get into the command center, so they’d both have to be very patient.

Unless… there was another entrance somewhere that the Children didn’t know about. When the guards sent cold glares in her direction, Solo cleared out without protest, heading back into the forest. Once the coast was clear, she’d do a little recon of her own.

 ---

“…They are doomed, brothers and sisters, and they know it. The people of Far Harbor need only peer out their windows to look upon the face of Atom himself...”

Piper shivered a little, and it wasn’t because she was cold. The feud between the Children and the harbormen was no joke – she could hear the hate in the High Confessor’s voice.

Richter placed a hand on Piper’s back and propelled her forward down the corridor until they reached a locker room. As expected, it was full of glowing fungus and mould, and looked as if it hadn’t been used in centuries. “You can get changed in there,” he said. “And leave your Commonwealth clothes in one of the lockers. You won’t be needing them anymore.”

Piper nodded.

“The sermon is almost finished. I’m sure you can find your way to the High Confessor’s quarters when you’re ready.” Richter patted her shoulder. “Remember to come and find me afterwards.”

He was touching her a bit more than she liked, so Piper jerked her shoulder out of the way. “Sure,” she muttered.

Richter smiled coldly, turning and leaving her in the corridor as he entered the submarine base’s main chamber. Piper could see it through the foggy windows and the doorway: a gigantic open space which had been turned into a city. There were dozens of Children kneeling beside the wooden scaffolding, raising their arms in prayer, many of them mumbling or crying. She hoped she wouldn’t have to stoop so low as to act like that just to fit in.

Piper entered the locker rooms, setting her bag down on the floor, and took off her hat, coat and scarf. It was much colder in the base than she’d expected, so she figured she’d be suffering for a while. As she took off her shirt and wiggled out of her trousers, she moved further into the room so as to avoid being seen. Who the heck designed these rooms with windows? Perverts.

There was a sink in the corner of the room, and while the water coming out certainly didn’t look sanitary, it was good enough for washing her face with. Piper scrubbed the blood out of her hair and gingerly cleaned the cuts, smiling when realized her skin was actually visible again. When she was done washing, she yanked the green robes over her head, wrinkling her nose at the musty scent of decaying fabric. There was a long mirror taped to the wall, and when she looked at it she couldn’t help grinning at herself. She looked ridiculous.

After searching for the cleanest, emptiest locker, Piper folded her clothes and placed them inside, aiming to come back for them later. There was still a voice speaking outside, deep and fervent, so it didn’t seem like the sermon was over yet. Hesitantly, Piper took her bag and exited through the hallway, stopping by the doors and peering out at the city. Once she realized she wasn’t being watched, she allowed herself to stride out and marvel at the size of the submarine. She walked along the length of it, passing through a small shack, and then stopped to watch the sermon.

“…No matter how inevitable Atom’s reign in this land may be, they deny it. Scoff at us behind their condensers, kill our missionaries, slay those who only wish to bring them the Light!” The tall, weedy man dressed in the most ridiculous clothes Piper had ever seen was the one speaking – he was standing on top of the submarine, arms upheld like he figured he was a god himself.

“No longer!” he boomed. “After years of skulking in the shadows like whipped dogs, our purpose is clear. And I know the key to our victory lies within the Nucleus itself.”

Piper stiffened, fear nestling in her bones. DiMA had suggested that the Children had realized the importance of his memories, but she still hadn’t expected this. How close were they to discovering the memory banks? Had they already broken into the command center?

“We will claim the secrets hidden away by that accursed robot, and with them we will wipe Far Harbor from the island!” the High Confessor rallied. “Atom’s veil will roll down its streets, holy Fog cleansing the land of their heresy! And when we are finally granted division, it will be as heroes! A new day dawns, brothers and sisters. Glory to Atom!”

In barely synchronized unison, the rest of the Children returned his cry: “Glory to Atom!”

Piper’s mouth was dry as she watched them weep and whisper and wipe happy tears from their eyes. They were so far gone that they had no chance of being brought back. These were people who had been absolutely impaired by the radiation. If they ever got their hands on DiMA’s memories… no, Piper didn’t want to think about it. She couldn’t let it happen.

Tonight, when she met with Solo, they would have a lot to talk about.

Piper watched as the High Confessor bowed his head, that ridiculous headpiece casting a shadow over the praying people, and then stepped out of the spotlight. He walked self-assuredly back towards the submarine’s ladder, climbed inside, and shut the hatch after him. Piper knew where she had to go.

Sighing, she made her way up the shaky wooden bridge towards the top of the submarine, glancing warily at the waters far below her. They were acid green, and she could feel the radioactive fumes from here. _Try not to test gravity, Piper_ , she thought worriedly. _There are safer ways to get your thrills_.

She reached the submarine hatch and stared at for a little while, wondering if she was supposed to knock. She was nosy enough that she only hesitated for a second. She climbed the ladder, popped open the hatch, and then clambered down inside into warm yellow light. She found herself in an extremely narrow metal compartment, facing a closed door. This time she did knock, feeling she might as well show some respect on her first day.

It was opened by a very tall woman dressed in similar armor to Richter, her head shaved cleanly. She had the sallow-looking skin of a very ill person, and her eyes were yellowed and bloodshot.

“Let her in,” came a deep male voice.

The woman stepped back, allowing Piper to pass her. Unlike Solo, she knew absolutely nothing about ships or the sea, so she had no idea where in the submarine she was. The room was filled with several doorways and broken computers, and the High Confessor was sitting on a throne set up right in the center of it all. He smiled through the intricate tattoos on his face. “Ah, I’d heard whispers of a new convert,” he said. “Welcome, sister. How does it feel to take your place among Atom’s chosen?”

Piper cleared her throat. “It’s an honor, High Confessor.”

“I’m glad you feel as such.” He stood, towering over her, the smile not leaving his face. “There are many who would squander Atom’s grace. Let me ask you a question – you’ve been to Far Harbor, yes? Seen it’s barriers against Atom’s holy Fog? It’s citizens’ blasphemous refusal to vacate what is clearly his domain? What would you do with such a place?”

Piper searched frantically for something to say that would put her in his good graces. When she could come up with nothing, she opted for a more daring approach. “I would… reach out to them. Make peace.”

His smile disappeared. “Do you not believe we have tried? For years, my predecessor begged for peace while Far Harbor fortified their bastion of heresy. We tried to help them, bring them Atom’s light. Many of our brethren ended up dying for it.”

Piper wondered if ‘helping’ the people of Far Harbor had involved spraying them with radiation like the Children in the Commonwealth did, attempting to make them convert. If helping was harming to these people, they really didn’t deserve peace at all. Then again... the Children on the island seemed much less hostile than those in the Commonwealth. Perhaps there was something worth salvaging here after all. 

“Now I am the High Confessor, that time is over,” he said seriously. “All Atom’s foes, whether Far Harbor cowering behind their precious condensers or that ancient robot hiding away his memories in our very home…” He fixed her with a cold look. “They will come to recognize Atom as the sole master of this island.”

“Memories?” Piper inquired innocently.

The High Confessor continued as if she hadn’t spoken: “But it is only through unity that we can succeed. Atom requires devotion from all His children. Embrace that and you will do well here.”

“Uh… can I ask a few questions?”

He looked at her in surprise. “Of course. Whatever you require.”

“You mentioned there was a Confessor before you,” Piper said curiously. “What happened to him?”

“Martin?” The High Confessor turned away. “No one knows. One night he was sleeping in his chambers in the vessel, and the next morning, he’d simply vanished. The other zealots and I organized a party to try and find him, to no avail. I wouldn’t be shocked if he took up in Far Harbor or fled to the south. His dedication to Atom had become… questionable.”

Piper only saw this as leverage; it was evident that the High Confessor despised Martin. Whatever had happened to him, it sounded very suspicious. This could be useful somehow - she was sure of it.

“Any other questions?” he asked.

She had plenty of questions, but she wanted to lay low. If she tried asking about the memories again, he would know something was up. “Nothing else.”

“Good.” He nodded to one of his guards. “He will show you where you will be staying. Take the time to meet some of the others – they will all be pleased to meet our newest convert. Atom keep you.”

Piper bowed her head and let the guard take her by the arm and lead her out.

 ---

Piper had been sitting on her mattress, trying not to pay attention to the crying of one of the Children in the next room, when she heard her transmitter beeping. Excitedly, she dug it out of her bag and held it to her chest, listening to the message. Solo had taught her the basics of morse the night before they left Far Harbor, giving her a sheet with all the different letters and punctuation on it. Piper unfolded it and followed the code, smiling as she saw what Solo was trying to say to her.

**OK?**

She checked the sheet again and then began clicking the transmitter’s button, sending a message back.

**OK. Meet?**

There was no beeping for a few long seconds, and Piper stared around her self-consciously, hoping no one had heard anything. Finally, Solo replied:

**Guards changed. Come now.**

Piper didn’t bother grabbing her bag, but she hid it in the small space in the wall behind her bed and took the pistol out. As she was collecting her notebook, there were more beeps from the transmitter and she paused to decode them:

**Careful.**

With a grin, she stood and left the room, jogging down the stairs. She had only been in the Nucleus for a few hours, but after meeting so many Children and settling in, it felt like it had been days. As she passed them, a few of the missionaries waved greetings at her. Some of them were surprisingly kind and down to earth, which shook her, but most were just as fanatical as the High Confessor himself. Meeting with Solo and getting away from here would be a relief.

She passed through the hallway to the entrance and let herself out through the doors, calming her rapidly beating heart as the guards outside turned to stare at her. They didn’t recognize her, and they didn’t question where she was going. Even so, she nervously told them, “Just a visit to the spring. You know how it is.”

One of the guards nodded, though the others only looked amused. "Sure, sister."

Their eyes were on her the whole time as she quickly escaped the compound and entered the forest. The robes were definitely not suitable for off-road trekking, and she had to hold the hem up as she stumbled up the hill. Finally, she reached the top and could see a slight glow below that marked the location of the camp Solo had built. With even more liveliness in her step, she made her way down the hill towards it, grinning when she saw the woman standing by the fire with her arms folded, hair reflecting the orange of the flames. She looked so anxious that Piper almost felt sorry for her.

“Hey Blu-”

She was swept up in a very surprising hug, her words cut off with a gasp. Piper fell silent, resting her chin on Solo’s shoulder and feeling warm for the first time all day. After a moment, she mumbled, “I’m all good, you know.”

“Oh, yeah. I know.” Solo pulled back just as quickly, not meeting her eyes. “It’s just been a tense day.”

“I can imagine,” Piper said wryly. “Uh… we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

Solo gestured towards the fire. “Sit on down. Oh... and nice outfit, by the way.” She grinned, appraising Piper's robes with amusement.

Piper scowled at her. “I’ll get one for you too, if you’re lucky.”

 ---

While she told Solo everything she had learned that day about the Children of Atom, the woman sat and listened closely. She interjected when necessary, but otherwise remained silent. Obviously, they had much less time to get to DiMA’s memories than they had first thought, so they needed to start working on getting Solo in there.

“There’s only one entrance,” Solo said. “I checked earlier - couldn't find any other way in.”

“We’ll have to sneak you in somehow.” Piper frowned at the fire, deep in thought. Now that Richter knew what Solo looked like, it would be hard to get her past him without him raising some sort of alarm.

“What did you say about getting me one of those outfits?” Solo asked with a raised brow.

“Seriously think they wouldn’t recognize you, Blue?” Piper remarked.

“You tell me. The middle of the night is always a good time to sneak around.”

“I don’t know…” Piper rubbed at her arms, feeling goosebumps rising on her skin. “By the way, I didn’t talk to Richter yet about that task he wanted me to do. I think we should wait until that’s done before we try getting you in.”

Solo hesitated. “Actually, I was thinking it would be good for you to lay low for a little while inside the Nucleus, just so they all get used to you. A week, maybe.”

“A week?” Piper felt a tugging of anxiety in her gut as she considered how long that was. She trusted Solo for sure, but that seemed like a lot of time to be hanging around in radioactive fumes surrounded by nut-jobs.

Solo looked at her worriedly, as if sensing her disappointment. “I want nothing more than to get you out of there, Pipes, but if we’re going to get into those memories…" She paused. "Look, all I have to go on is how long it took the Institute to trust me, which was a while. We've got to be careful.”

“I get it,” Piper said genuinely, though she wasn't sure she believed her own words. “And I’m not in danger. It’ll be fine.”

Solo threw a piece of dry timber into the fire and waved away some of the smoke. After a long minute of consideration, during which they both stared into the flames and tried to predict how hard the coming week would be, Solo spoke again: “I’m going to travel back to Far Harbor and take a few jobs. Earn a few more caps and ammunition. Get a feel for how much Far Harbor wants this war…”

Piper didn’t like the sound of that at all, but she kept her mouth shut. This was getting worse and worse. 

“I’ve modified the radio on my Pip-Boy so that it only connects to your transmitter,” she explained. “If anything happens, you should be able to reach me. The island’s small, and their reach is pretty long.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll help you with anything you need out here,” Solo promised. “Inside... that’s all up to you. Just let me know whenever something important happens, alright? I'll get over here as fast as I can.”

“I will.”

Solo gazed at her, eyes sharp. Her lips parted like she was going to say something else, but she stopped herself. Finally, she muttered, “If you’re worried, I won’t go. I’ll stick around here.”

“No, you should go,” Piper insisted quickly. “It’d be good to learn more about the other side of the conflict. I can handle myself.”

“I know you can." Solo looked at her with more than a hint of pride, reaching over to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I’ll be back in about five days or less.”

Five days or less of living among the Children of Atom. Kudos to her if she didn't end up dead or crazy. Piper glanced up at the sky through the trees, realizing how dark it was. “I... I should get back.”

“But-” Again, Solo stopped herself from saying whatever she’d meant to say. She took a controlled breath. “You’re right.”

They both climbed to their feet, and Piper flashed her a smile. “I’ll see you around, Blue.”

“Stay safe in there.” Solo's grey eyes were almost the color of the smoke from the fire, full of heat. Piper had noticed they always got darker when she was worried or angry, when she refused to let such emotions show on her face. She reached forward and laid her hand lightly on Piper's shoulder, and instead of flinching like she had with Richter, Piper was soothed by it. It was the kind of gentle concern that Piper could remember her father always had - it was one of the only things she remembered about him. 

"Put that nosy reporter brain to good use," Solo said. "I know you'll find something useful."

"You always know what to say," Piper replied dryly.

They hugged once more, and then Piper extricated herself and gave Solo a little wave. "Don't get eaten by any monsters while you're gone!" she called jokingly, already beginning to walk away. She lifted the hem of her robes again so she didn’t end up tripping over a root and embarrassing herself, feeling the darkness and the Fog close in on her as she left Solo's campsite behind. It was a little dizzying to think she’d actually be completely alone in there – Solo would be miles away. But she’d be able to talk to her. That was a good thing.

It was time to embrace Atom.


	15. In Sheep's Clothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Solo has returned to Far Harbor, Piper continues to carry out errands for the Children of Atom, struggling with the things she is asked to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter up ahead - enjoy!

If Solo slept at all on her way back to Far Harbor, it was lightly and only for a few hours. She kept her Pip-Boy close so she would hear the beeping if Piper sent a message, but for now it seemed the reporter had nothing to say. The morning Solo arrived back in Far Harbor, Piper sent her a short morse message stating she was okay, but there was nothing more than that. As far as Solo was aware, she was laying low and keeping out of trouble. But knowing Piper… danger would find her at some point.

Solo didn’t bother renting a room at The Last Plank this time. Once she arrived in the town, she bought some cooked meat for breakfast from one of the local vendors and headed straight for Allen’s weaponry stand.

“Huh. The Mainlander,” Allen scoffed the moment he saw her. “Great.”

Solo only raised an eyebrow, dumping her bag beside her and leaning both elbows on the counter.

Allen hesitated. “Look, you helped us in the fight when you got here, but we didn’t need it. This is our island, our fight, not yours.”

 _There’s more going on here than you realize_ , Solo thought to her herself.

“I saved all your asses,” Solo said flippantly. “That not worth a little gratitude?”

He glowered at her. “We’ve defended this damned dock from crabs and worse for months without you. Yeah, you helped, but we’ve paid our dues in blood and bullets. The day we rely on outsiders for security is the day we’re as good as dead.”

“I get it,” Solo said. She traced a finger over the grainy wood of the countertop, remaining outwardly calm even though Allen was already getting on her nerves. “Once you start leaning on people, you can’t walk on your own. Either you all survive on your own terms, or you all end up dead.”

Allen cocked his head at her, seemingly surprised. “…Yeah, that’s right. But there’s one exception.”

“Is there?” Solo asked, meeting his eyes.

“The Children of Atom… anyone willing to put those bastards down, I’d sell my top shelf ordinance with a smile.”

Solo wasn’t looking to join the war at all, but if this meant getting more information about the conflict, she would play along with as much enthusiasm as possible. That’s what Piper would do, right?

“What’s your problem exactly with the Children of Atom?” Solo asked carefully.

Avery scowled. “We should’ve gunned those bastards down the moment they set foot here. Instead, we let them in. And all in secret from wherever they’re holed up, they’ve been feeding the Fog. Getting it stronger. Strong enough to push all of us out of our homesteads, further and further until it’s a wonder we’re not all drowned in the ocean.”

Solo couldn’t help but sympathize with the people of Far Harbor. As far as she was concerned – and the Brotherhood as well – the Children of Atom did not belong on this Earth. They were dangerous and senseless, and they deserved to be wiped out. But… after a while of being away from the Brotherhood and traveling with Piper, Solo was starting to realize that things weren’t all that black and white.

“You have any proof that they’ve… fed the Fog?” Solo inquired lightly.

“Proof?” he jeered. “We wait for that and we might as well pull the trigger ourselves.”

Of course. Someone like Allen could afford to be confident in his hatred – he had never known any better. Destroying an entire race for the sins of only a few didn’t seem like a moral concern to him.

It hadn’t seemed like one to Solo either, before all of this. Before Piper started messing with her moral compass.

“Look, in my daddy’s time, the Fog was a nuisance,” Allen clarified. “Something you avoided. Now everyday it gets stronger – it’s like the fires of Hell out there, because of the Children.”

“Uh-huh.” Solo paused for a moment. “And if the Children ever surrendered, or promised to be peaceful? What then?”

Allen looked at her like she was crazy. “They’re lunatics,” he said. “They don’t even know what peace is.”

Solo sighed. “Neither do you, apparently.”

The man opened his mouth to protest, but Solo bent to pick up her bag and waved a hand to silence him. “Don’t bother. I’m definitely not a Children of Atom fan, either, just so you know. If they ended up wiped off the island, I could hardly complain about it. But I’ve started to realize that there are no good guys in any war. If you ever wipe them out, Allen, don’t go thinking you’ve done the right thing.”

“I-”

“There _is_ no right thing.” Solo shouldered her bag. “I’ll see you around.”

“You think _you_ can lecture _me_ on war?” he called after her angrily.

Solo ignored him, heading for the next building to the left of Far Harbor’s entrance. She had never said something like that in the Commonwealth – _ever_. Nate had taught her that war was unchangeable, helping no one but the so-called ‘greater good’. That was all she had cared about or known for nearly a year. Now, here she was telling a man to get his head on straight because he was talking exactly like she had.

Solo was worrying that she could never return to the Brotherhood – would they notice how much she had changed after this case? Had Piper’s morality really affected her _that_ much?

The Mariner was leaning over a desk in her workshop, muttering to herself, when Solo stopped in the doorway. She was wearing the same apron over light armor as Solo remembered, a woolly cap pulled down over her short dark hair and a pair of glasses perched on her nose. It also seemed she’d taken a swim in one of the local ponds, as she was absolutely covered in dust and grime.

“Uh… hello?”

The Mariner glanced up, dirty face fixing into a tight smile. “Outsider. Hi.” The tools in her hands were dropped to the desk with a clatter, and she brushed her hands off on her apron as she strode over to shake Solo’s hand. “They call me the Mariner. Shipwright, handyman, and the only one keeping the Harbor afloat. Well… besides Captain Avery.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Solo said, taken aback by her friendliness.

“Likewise.” The woman placed her hands on her hips. “I hope the island doesn’t kill you quick. Or slow, for that matter.”

“…Thanks.”

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to lend a hand? In order to do proper repairs after that last breach, I need tools. Specialized tools. And they won’t be easy to come by. 450 caps if you can, though.” The woman peered at her, speaking so quickly that Solo could hardly keep up.

She had come over here mainly to ask her about the Children of Atom, but paused as she considered the job. That was a lot of caps just to find some tools.

“I’ll help,” she said finally.

“Eagle’s Cove Tannery,” the Mariner said, pointing at a map on her wall. “Tools are certain to be there.”

“That on the other side of the island?”

“Sure is.” The Mariner smiled. “No problem for a soldier like you though, eh?”

“How do you know I’m a soldier?”

“Not many of us have access to working radios,” she explained. “But I have. And I’ve heard plenty about the Brotherhood and the defeat of the Institute.”

It felt as if a bucket of ice had been poured over her head, just hearing someone here talking about what had been happening in the Commonwealth. Solo felt both pleased and anxious.

“That’s… interesting.”

The Mariner returned to her workbench. “Eagle’s Cove Tannery,” she repeated. “Now git.”

It was a very sudden dismissal, but Solo took her cue, turning and leaving the workshop without protest. She hadn’t really thought much about what was going on in the Commonwealth. Were people still celebrating the downfall of the Institute? Was the Brotherhood searching for her? Maybe she should never go back.

Solo walked until she found a bench, sitting down with her bag beside her. On her Pip-Boy, she began marking in the tannery’s location on her map, instinctively checking Piper’s transmitter as well to make sure she wasn’t missing a message.

There was nothing.

Crestfallen, she finished off her breakfast while watching the sea, deep in thought. After what Allen had told her, there wasn’t actually much more to ask about the town’s conflict with the Children of Atom. It was clear that he was behind most of the hostility, and that most of the town would follow him into war if he wanted them to. It was only Captain Avery keeping them in line, and Solo had already tried talking to her multiple times. As usual, she was busy with her own errands.

Might as well carry out a few tasks for the locals while she waited to speak to the big boss, right?

Solo collected her things, tossed her greasy wrapper in the trash, and headed straight for the gates.

 _Eagle’s Cove Tannery, here I come_.

 ---

Piper sat with her legs crossed, closing her eyes as she jabbed the needle into her arm and let out a relieved sigh. She had plenty of radiation medicine left, but it still worried her sometimes that she wasn’t taking enough. She’d had a few breakouts of rashes, and there was one time when she was bathing that she noticed she was losing a lot of hair down the drain. The food they had here was also infused with plenty of radiation, so she’d taken to eating much less – after only a few days, she was starting to see the difference in her figure. The radiation was taking its toll, but for now she could deal with it.

She didn’t have many friends. The Children mostly kept to themselves, arriving twice a day outside the submarine to pray to Atom. Piper joined them, but she still hadn’t gotten the hang of it. Surely people had noticed how unenthusiastic she was. Maybe they just chalked it off to the fact that she was new here.

Richter hadn’t yet told her about the job he wanted her to do. She’d gone to him like he asked her to, but he’d mentioned that she needed to run a few errands for the High Confessor first, just to get into his good books. It was sound advice, so she took it. For a day or two, she had been spying on a Child of Atom named Sister Aubert, who Tektus apparently felt was being disloyal. Piper didn’t mind the job, since it kept her occupied while she was forced to remain inside the Nucleus. The fact she was relatively new also meant she could spy on the woman without being detected. Already, she’d discovered where she slept and who her friends were – like many of the higher-up Children, she lived in the submarine, her place of work. If Piper discovered any evidence of Sister Aubert’s disloyalty and brought it to High Confessor Tektus, she would be rewarded for her efforts.

But would Sister Aubert end up dead? Did Piper want a hand in that? She knew this was a major opportunity to prove her loyalty to the Children of Atom, so if she messed up there could be worse consequences than watching a stranger die.

Piper dug under her mattress and pulled out the radio transmitter, staring at it dully. She’d spent so much time awake at night that she’d been able to learn all the morse patterns off by heart. Sometimes, while staring up at the ceiling with nothing else to do, she would try to make up sentences and tap them out in morse, just for fun. Sometimes she would just think about Nat and how she was doing back home. It was criminal, really, what she was doing to her. Nat deserved better.

Sometimes she thought about where Solo was and what monsters she was fighting. For a few moments, she would panic and wonder if her partner was dead out there, leaving her all alone, but she would later get the daily message from Solo telling her she was all right. Piper would chastise herself for worrying about something so stupid. Solo was practicably unkillable, right? She hoped so.

Learning about the command center was virtually a no-go. None of the Children she asked seemed to know very much about it, though they did point her in its general direction. The entrance was at the top of several flights of stairs, right at the back of the gigantic submarine chamber. Upon checking it out, Piper had realized there was a guard standing right outside at all times of the day – one of the more alert-looking zealots with a mean look on her face. If Piper was going to get Solo past her, she would need a pretty good alibi. She’d have to wait until Solo got back if she wanted to start brainstorming.

For now, her job was to learn more about Sister Aubert.

Piper stood up, stretching out her spine with her arms above her head, and then rearranged her robes so they looked more presentable. Every time she headed into the submarine to spy on Sister Aubert, the High Confessor asked her how far along she was with the investigation. She’d started to sense he was getting impatient. Today, she would need to turn up something legitimate.

Ten minutes later, Piper was heading down the metal steps into one of the submarine’s narrow passageways, flinching a little as one of the pipes overhead suddenly started spurting steam. She’d never really been claustrophobic before, but there was something about being surrounded by all this metal and imagining she was under the sea that set her heart beating frantically. Clenching her jaw, Piper set off towards the next set of stairs, dragging one of her hands along the slick wall as she went. A few of the zealots nodded at her as she passed, recognizing her.

She travelled down to the next floor, wincing as she felt the air physically thickening and buzzing with excess radiation. There was definitely no such thing as enough Rad-X.

Piper had been heading directly for Sister Aubert’s bunk, but came to a very sudden stop when she was intercepted by the woman herself coming through a doorway ahead. So far, she had done very well at evading her, but now she had nowhere to go without looking suspicious. She coughed and managed a smile in greeting. “Hello, Sister.”

The woman was wearing robes that were much too big for her, dragging on the floor as she walked, and her hair was almost all gone, hanging from her bald head in greasy strands. Her face didn’t change as she stopped to regard Piper, looking her up and down. “If you’re looking for the crypt, you took a wrong turn,” she said, her voice rasping. “It’s my job to take care of this place – you touch anything, I’m taking the limb, understand?”

“A… crypt? Don’t you have the entire base?” Piper asked curiously.

The woman’s face seemed to loosen, and her shoulders relaxed. “It keeps our fallen brethren near His Glow, near their family. A true honor… denied too many.”

“But why would you be denied a place in the crypt?”

“You’ve been out there, right?” Sister Aubert said frankly. “This place… it’s dangerous. Take a wrong turn in the Fog? Sorry, brother. Lost to the family. Wandered too close to the wrong settlement? Sorry brother, lost to the family. Atom help you, you look at Tektus the wrong way…”

Piper jumped on that immediately. “You don’t like Tektus, huh?”

Sister Aubert recognized her mistake very quickly, her eyes darting away from Piper’s face as she stiffened up again. “I-I like Tektus just fine. I… think you should go.”

Before Piper could protest, the woman pushed right past her and left through one of the bulkhead doors, walking as quickly as her feet could carry her. Obviously, Piper didn’t blame her for her dislike of the High Confessor. The man was a crazy asshole. But she had a job to do, whether she liked it or not.

Taking a deep breath, Piper continued down the passage towards Sister Aubert’s bunk, feeling a little guilty as she stepped out into one of the giant generator rooms and shut the door behind her. She doubted she’d ever get a chance like this to turn up some real evidence, but she really didn’t want to get another Child in trouble.

Piper crouched by Sister Aubert’s mattress, checking under the pillow. Nothing. She kneeled on the bed, peering over the other side, and then dug her fingers under the mattress. Her fingertips found something thin and dry – paper. Triumphantly, she slipped it out and then sat on the bed to read it.

_My dear Aubert,_

_You worry too much. Even if the High Confessor is still having trouble getting over my past closeness with Martin, Richter is a friend. If there was a problem, the Grand Zealot would tell me._

_That said, I think you and I should continue using our footlocker in the storage room to share messages. You know gossip spreads in this place. I wouldn’t want you getting drawn into any undue intrigue._

_And in case yours has wandered off again, I’ve hidden a spare key under the bench in the entryway locker room, just in case._

_Counting the moments until we’re together,_

_Edgar_

Piper grinned to herself as she read the letter over once more. A story of love in the Nucleus – how about that? She’d never have guessed. The only thing to do now was check that footlocker. Surely if the rest of the letters were like this, there was nothing she needed to report to the High Confessor. What was wrong with a few secret love letters?

She tucked the letter back under the mattress where she’d found it and left the engine room immediately, knowing exactly where she needed to go.

 ---

It was almost time for night prayer when Piper finally found the storage room that had been detailed in Edgar’s letter. Much to her luck, she was alone, so she was able to sit and unlock the footlocker without feeling panicked. The box was empty save for a single letter. Curious, Piper lifted it out and unfolded it, careful not to rip the page.

_Edgar,_

_Grand Zealot says it was an accident. You wandered off and he couldn’t get to you in time. Couldn’t bring you back._

_He’s lying._

_I know because you’d never do something that foolish. None of them will ever admit to it, but this was Tektus. He had you killed because he was terrified of Martin. Because TEKTUS KNOWS Martin was the only one worthy of running this family…_

Piper lowered the letter, not feeling she needed to read much more. She stared at the wall, biting at her lip worriedly, trying to decide what the hell to do. So much for a secret love story.

As Tektus had expected, there was something going on with Sister Aubert, and from the look of the letter, she was planning something which could possibly put him in danger. If Piper didn’t report this… she could be the one who eventually ended up dead.

Again, she read over the letter, feeling anger bubbling just beneath the surface. Confessor Tektus had given her no choice, and she loathed him for it.

What would Solo do here? Surely she would just turn the woman in and forget about it. Or would she have confronted Sister Aubert first?

Piper jumped to her feet, tucking the letter into her robes, and left the room as quickly as possible, walking purposefully towards the other end of the submarine. She ignored all the zealots she passed who called her to prayer, ducking through doorways and skipping down flights of stairs. When she reached the door to the engine room, she swung it open and stepped inside without knocking, pleased to see that Sister Aubert was here instead of outside with all the other Children. She looked up in shock when she saw Piper, and there was a hint of fear in her eyes.

“Tektus is a damn fine confessor,” she said quickly. “Best we’ve had-”

“Listen,” Piper interrupted frankly. “I found this note you penned. About the High Confessor. Something like this could get you into a lot of trouble.”

The woman dropped her tools, turning to face Piper head on as she pulled the letter out of her robes. She looked as if she’d been slapped in the face, her shock quickly turning to pure fear.

“My note?” she breathed. “L-listen, I was… mad. High Confessor’s a good man. I-I wouldn’t… please, please just let me have it back and I’ll get rid of it…”

The fact she was begging Piper almost made her sick to the stomach. Whatever this woman expected Tektus to do to her, it must be bad. Stepping forward, Piper placed a light, comforting hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eye.

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell him everything’s above board. Here…” She placed the note in Sister Aubert’s hand. “Take this and destroy it.”

The woman almost didn’t seem to believe her, taking the note gingerly and staring at her in astonishment. When Piper didn’t go back on her word, the woman tucked the note away and clasped both her hands, bowing her head. “Oh, Atom above, thank you. Thank you! Just, when you report back, tell him I’m loyal, all right? Please.”

Piper nodded. “I will.”

Again, the woman mumbled a blessing to Atom, and Piper smiled, shaking her head. She patted her shoulder. “Just stay under the radar from now on. Next time he could send someone else.”

Sister Aubert nodded rapidly. “Thank you,” she said again.

Piper left her alone in the engine room fumbling with some matches, feeling a warmth in her chest and knowing she had done the right thing. Now, she only needed High Confessor Tektus to believe her.

 ---

Piper exited the submarine feeling tingly all over, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the radiation or because she was relieved she’d been successful in convincing Tektus there was nothing to worry about. It had been hard enough acting like she revered him when she secretly wanted to shoot his legs out from under him and throw him behind bars. The man was a snake.

Piper breathed in deeply, glad to be out in an open space again, and was about to make her way back to her bed when Richter stopped her. He had been patrolling the submarine, only having just come around the corner – there were some new scratches on his face, marring the Atom drawings, and he had the look of someone who hadn’t slept for a very long time.

“There you are,” he said. “I trust you’ve completed your work for the High Confessor?”

“I have. Just now,” Piper said, unable to contain her satisfaction.

“Good. Then I think now might be an appropriate time to tell you about the job I want you to do.”

Piper hesitated, remembering that it was still three days until Solo got back. She couldn’t leave the base before then. She’d promised.

“I’m… ready to serve, Grand Zealot.”

“Good. There is a woman, one of our own. Or, she was. Gwyneth.” Richter lowered his gun. “She’s given herself over to something dark. The Confessor ordered Zealot Theil to track her down, but the heretic eluded her. Now Gwyneth has begun profaning our holy sites with her mad ravings, openly flouting the word of Atom.”

Piper swallowed, feeling she knew where this was going. There was no job the Children of Atom asked her to do that didn’t involve controlling another Child… or destroying one.

“The High Confessor wants her found. And executed,” Richter said simply.

“Why have me do this?” Piper demanded. “You have other Zealots who probably know the area better.”

“Consider it another test,” Richter said with a cold smile. “Prove your dedication to the family.”

Prove her dedication to the Children of Atom by killing somebody who was probably just as mentally ill as they were? There was no way that she would be okay with doing that. Unless there was a reason to do it, Piper didn’t kill anybody.

“We can’t try talking to her?” Piper asked. “Maybe she’ll see reason.”

“Won’t lie. Sister Gwyneth was a good woman. But whatever’s driven her to this lunacy… I’m not sure how much it’s left behind. Regardless, the refusal of His grace can’t be permitted.”

Piper almost wanted to laugh in his face. The man didn’t even realize his own hypocrisy – somehow, he believed he was entirely sane. That was what created the complications here. If Piper acted like she wasn’t as crazy him, she would either be dead or exiled, and she would never get Solo into the command center. So as much as she hated this, and as stupid as she thought Richter was, there was no choice but to accept the job.

 _Anything for a story_ , Piper thought weakly. _Even if I can never live with myself afterwards_.

“I’ll find her, Grand Zealot,” Piper said, bowing her head.

“Good. Speak to Zealot Theil. She should be able to point you towards Gwyneth’s trail. Bring Atom’s judgement to the heretic.”

“Uh…” Piper cleared her throat. “When exactly would you want this done?”

“As soon as possible.” Richter eyed her. “You will need to see Sister Mai for any resources you need. But I expect you to be leaving tomorrow at the latest.”

“Oh.” Piper swallowed. “All right. Consider it done.”

“Good.”

Piper walked back to her bed as quickly as possible without raising suspicion, panicking a little despite her determination to remain calm. She needed to message Solo. And if her friend couldn’t get back in time… her only choice was to head out and deal with Sister Gwyneth alone. Kill her. And then come right back to showcase the blood on her hands. At least, at that point, she would have given them all reason to trust her.

One of her biggest fears about infiltrating the Children of Atom had been that she would turn as crazy as them. Doing something like this for them when she wasn’t even mad … surely that was worse?

Piper grabbed her transmitter from under her mattress as soon as possible, noticing a tightness growing in her chest. She didn’t want to be here anymore. She wanted to get _out_ , and she never wanted to return. Being alone made it all so much worse.

**JOB TMW.**

She paused, trying to relieve the pressure, wondering if she just needed to cry or something.

**PLS COME SN.**

There was no immediate answer, and she didn’t expect one. Piper grabbed for more Rad-X and RadAway from her bag, breathing shakily as she injected both in her upper arm. When she felt it coursing through her veins, she layed down on her bed with the transmitter held tightly to her chest, wondering where Solo was and what she was doing. Would she have gotten the message? Piper had set it on loop, so she would in time. Was there enough time for her to get back here before Piper was forced to leave?

 _Calm down, Piper_ , she thought. A lot of her current panic was due to stress but… she couldn’t deny that she was feeling out of place right now.

She missed her little sister; her rubber boots and the four layers of socks she wore because they were too big, and the mischievous way she would always answer back to every single thing Piper said. Even the way she always seemed to get into trouble at school, starting an argument about something she was passionate about or punching a boy who had gotten a little too friendly with her. In her mind’s eye, Piper could see Nat waving newspapers at passersby in front of Publick Occurrences, her voice shrill. She could see Valentine or Ellie sitting with her as she slurped down a bowl of noodles, carefully evading her questions about where Piper had gone and when she’d be back.

 _Oh, Nat_ , Piper thought sadly.

Oddly enough, she missed Solo too. Her partner was the only familiar thing on this island, and if she stopped to dwell on that for even a single second, Piper’s chest would only grow tighter with worry. She knew Solo was still a Brotherhood soldier at heart, and she was aware that she had done terrible things, but Piper only felt safe when she thought of her. She had never quite felt safer when traveling with anyone else.

Piper closed her eyes and turned her face into the pillow, hugging the transmitter tighter as she felt the panic wearing away. She was just a little homesick – that was all. And that could be cured with sleep.

If she needed her, Solo would come running - she wouldn't leave her alone.


	16. Witch Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solo rushes back to the Nucleus in order to assist Piper with a critical task she is expected to carry out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want to thank everybody who's been leaving kudos and commenting on this story, as you've honestly inspired me many times to keep writing even when I'm not feeling it. Which I am, now. Thankfully. 
> 
> Things are still heating up in the story, and we've got quite a way to go. Thanks for sticking by me this long!  
> Unfortunately, I have exams coming up over the next two weeks, so I might post this chapter and the next... and then go on radio silence until the hardships are over. Hope you guys don't mind waiting that long! I'll give you a little something to keep you going, I promise (hint: it'll be in the next chapter)...
> 
> Enjoy!

Solo had spent several days carrying out tasks for the local townspeople in Far Harbor. After she managed to return alive with the Mariner’s tools, word got out that she was willing to lend a hand – suddenly, everyone seemed to need her help. She cleared mirelurks out of houses, threw grenades at anglers to scare them away, collected all sorts of useful things from desolated buildings, all in a day’s work. It was on her fourth day in Far Harbor, after she’d returned with a family who she had rescued from a cottage inland, that she found Captain Avery waiting for her at the gate. The woman looked quietly amused, arms folded as she leaned against the wall in a relaxed manner.

“I see you’ve been busy,” she commented.

Solo had been hoping to find somewhere to take a shower and rest now that she was back, but she banished any thoughts of comfort the moment she was faced with the Captain. “Oh, you know,” Solo said casually. “Just lending a hand where I can.”

Captain Avery straightened and beckoned to the building on their right. “Come on in. I know you’ve been waiting to speak with me.”

Solo followed her inside, leaving her bag at the door and heading up the stairs to Captain Avery’s room. It was small and minimalistic, much like the rooms in the inn, and contained barely any trace of her personality. Solo watched as she collected two mugs from a cupboard and began making tea, pouring already-boiled water over some homemade tea bags. She didn’t ask if Solo actually wanted it, and didn’t seem to care either way.

“I suppose you got to Acadia safe, then?” Captain Avery inquired after a moment, not turning around. “And… found whatever you were looking for?”

Solo shrugged. “We ran into a few complications.”

The woman turned, handing a steaming mug to Solo before sitting down at her desk. “I did notice your partner wasn’t here.”

“We split up for a little while,” Solo said, though just the mention of Piper set her off worrying again. She hadn’t had any messages yet today, and it was almost late afternoon. Rather uncomfortable, she shifted on her feet and attempted to hide her nervousness behind the mug, taking a careful sip of the tea.

Captain Avery gazed at her expectantly. “So what is it you’ve been waiting so long to talk to me about?”

Solo looked past her and gazed out of the open windows at the sea. “The Children of Atom.”

“The Children?” Captain Avery looked mildly surprised. “Is that something you’re investigating?”

“Partly… yeah.” Solo paused. “I’ve talked to Allen, and he seems pretty set on his hatred for them. If it were up to him, I’m sure every citizen of Far Harbor would already be riled up enough to march with him to the Nucleus. Except it’s not up to him. It’s up to you.”

Captain Avery set her tea down, much more solemn now. “Go on.”

“You didn’t have the same idea about the Children. I was just wondering why,” Solo said.

The woman’s eyes traveled over Solo’s face curiously. “Only a fool with a temper would want any kind of war on this island. I understand some of the conflict, of course, but… there’s potential for peace here, too. Maybe I’m the only one who sees it.”

Solo nodded slowly, considering her next words. “So, even if the Children wanted to go war with your people, you’d look for peace above anything else?”

“Maybe.” Captain Avery stood. “Are you trying to tell me there’s a war coming, Outsider? Should I be worried?”

Hurriedly, Solo said, “No, that’s not what I meant. I’m just curious about all of the conflict, is all. If there _was_ a war, though… wouldn’t that end badly for everybody on the island?”

“Certainly.” Captain Avery shrugged. “Not that I can predict the outcome, but I’m sure there would be a lot of unnecessary bloodshed and violence… and I’m also sure Acadia would struggle to pick a side amongst the chaos. They would have to, or one of us would turn on them, too. I doubt there would be anything left but the Fog after the fighting stopped.”

Solo agreed that this was the likely outcome of a war here. A whole faction could easily be wiped out – she knew that from her own experience. She couldn’t exactly allow that to happen again. But she also wasn’t sure who the bad guys were in this situation. She didn’t trust DiMA at all, but she had to admit that he appeared peaceful. Captain Avery was evidently peaceful as well, the leader of the settlers that Solo, as a Brotherhood sentinel, was sworn to protect. It was only the Children of Atom who seemed unworthy of the island. DiMA and Captain Avery seemed to think they deserved a fair portion, but Solo wasn’t so sure. If there was a war, she was sure she knew who she would side against.

“Was there anything else?” Captain Avery asked.

Solo took a few big gulps of her tea, swallowing the hot liquid down and placing the mug on a counter. “That was all, actually.”

The woman regarded her even more enquiringly. “All this time waiting to speak to me, and it was only for that?”

“My partner is better with this whole… questioning thing.” Solo cleared her throat. “But I’ve got all I need. Thank you.”

“No, thank _you_ ,” Captain Avery returned. “You’ve helped a lot of people around here. Lord knows we needed a show of kindness.”

“No problem.” Solo shifted on her feet, uncomfortable all of a sudden. “Stay safe, Avery.”

“You too, Outsider.”

Solo nodded goodbye and left her room, heading down the stairs to collect her bag. She next headed straight for The Last Plank, hoping to finally take that shower she’d been waiting for. Dusk was arriving now, the sun sinking towards the waves, and Solo was feeling the night’s chill descending already. A few of the people she had helped out waved at her when she passed them, and she waved back, realizing it actually felt quite good to be appreciated. Sure, she was getting paid for it, but she was also risking her life for these people willingly, which wasn’t something she often did when she was with the Brotherhood.

When she let herself into the bar, Mitch was wiping down the counters. He smiled when he saw her. “Room?” he guessed.

“Yeah, thanks,” Solo said, already retrieving her pouch of caps.

He reached under the bar and grabbed a key, handing it over. “Hey, so… where’s that pretty friend of yours?”

Solo stiffened, instantly defensive. “None of your business.”

Mitch held his hands up in surrender. “Whoa, just askin’. I’ve seen you around, but not her. Aren’t you partners or something?”

“Thanks for the room,” Solo said coldly. She grabbed the key, leaving the caps on the counter, and headed up to her room. He didn’t shout anything after her, but she sensed that he was calling her something rather unsavory under his breath. Not that she cared.

Solo’s shower was freezing, but she was relieved to be able to wash all of that blood and grime off her body. After brushing her hair, she wrapped herself in several towels and returned to her bedroom, smiling to herself the moment she heard the faint beeping of her Pip-Boy on the nightstand. It was a much longer message than she was used to, and just the fact that Piper had broken her silence sent an unexpected warmth through her. She sat down on the edge of her bed, picking up the Pip-Boy and listening carefully to decipher the message.

Oh.

The faint smile left her face as she realized what Piper was telling her. _Job tomorrow. Come now_.

Without even the slightest hesitation, Solo burst into action, yanking off her towels and beginning to put on her BOS uniform, zipping it up impatiently. She buckled her armor with the same haste, attaching her Pip-Boy to her wrist simultaneously. Once she was dressed, she stuffed everything back into her bag and shouldered it along with her Gatling laser, leaving the room.

Downstairs, there were a few more visitors now sitting in the booths and at the bar. Mitch looked at Solo in surprise as she slapped the key down on the counter.

“Wait!” he called, as she began walking away. “Don’t you want a refund?”

She just waved a hand dismissively over her shoulder as she shoved through the door, stepping out onto the Harbor. Her hair was wet, numbing her skin where the wind touched it, so she yanked her knit-cap down over her head. As an after-thought, she got some Rad-X out of her bag and injected it, remembering how foggy it got nearer the Nucleus. For the first time in a few days, she was struck with a sense of absolute determination.

 _I’m coming, Pipes_.

 ---

Solo traveled throughout the night, moving quietly through the undergrowth, taking shortcuts when necessary so she wouldn’t have to stick to the long, winding roads. Although she knew she must be tired, she didn’t feel it. The glowing green light of her Pip-Boy kept her electrifyingly awake, her eyes constantly blinking against the frigid wind. Eventually, the Fog got thicker and she was forced to sneak past ponds full of mutated creatures. She’d bought a new .44 pistol from Allen on her second day in Far Harbor, and she held it tightly in her hand the whole time, sweeping it around.

The forest started looking more familiar once she began climbing hills and rocks – she was close to the Nucleus. It was already morning at this point, and she had moved much faster than anticipated, having jogged most of the way. Would Piper already have left the base by now, or would she still be in there? If so, how long would Solo have to wait to see if she was okay?

She was breathing heavily once she arrived at the bottom of the hill, the old remnants of her camp still sitting in the middle of the clearing. While she hadn’t been here for days, she could still smell stale smoke from the last time the fire had been lit.

Her lungs felt frozen, burning from the Fog and the cold air. For a second, she could do nothing but bend over with her hands on her knees, trying to get her breath back. Once she was relaxed enough, she lifted her bag and the Gatling laser off her shoulders, groaning as she freed her aching muscles. As expected, Piper wasn’t here. It was about ten in the morning, but the Fog made it look like as if the sun had never risen.

Solo kneeled by the old remains of her fire and began building it up again, reaching for scattered leaves and twigs. When she set it alight with her flip-lighter and smoke began winding up through the branches overhead, she sighed and sat back on her heels. The heat seemed to be sucked into the frigid air before ever reaching her frozen hands, and the fire itself was pulsating, the glowing embers seeming to move in rhythm with the flames, matching every dip and sweep. Solo watched it, mesmerized, until she remembered that she had forgotten to send Piper a message saying she was coming. In all her rush, it hadn’t even crossed her mind. There was still time, right?

She switched tabs on her Pip-Boy, selected Piper’s transmitter, and began tapping out the message:

 **HERE**.

She’d better get the hell of a thank you once Piper came out and found her. After running all this way, she felt like she was close to collapsing. There was a kind of tired that needed only a good night’s sleep, and then there was a kind of tired that needed so much more. For a while now, Solo had been slipping from one into the other. She hadn’t realized how emotionally tired she was, not until after the Institute’s collapse, and it was only now beginning to catch up with her.

Solo dug through her things, grabbed her sleeping bag, and then rolled it out next to the fire. Her sense of relief was overwhelming; she was here early, she had Piper’s back, and there was nothing to worry about.

She hoped.

After zipping it up around her, Solo laid back and stared up at the foggy sky through the branches. Her eyes settled on it for a moment. Beautiful. Mysterious. Her body washed cold as she remembered how it felt to lie in a warm bed with a pillow and blankets, tucked up next to somebody else. It had been so long since Nate – since any sort of intimate human touch – that Solo could hardly remember what it felt like to be so comfortable with someone. She only knew that it was something she craved; to feel safe, and in love, and no longer alone.

In hardly a minute, her eyelids were drooping closed with the promise of a heartening dream, and she succumbed to the wallowing blackness.

 ---

It felt like only minutes later that the sound of something approaching awoke Solo immediately from her slumber. Aching and bleary-eyed, she sat up with her pistol already in her hand, glancing around her. Her brain struggled to catch up with her, sluggish and confused, and she quickly slid herself out of her sleeping bag so she could stand. The flames had died down a little, so she had limited visibility. Again, she heard the shuffling of leaves and undergrowth.

Was that sound Piper, or was it something else?

As Solo raised her pistol and moved in a full circle, surveying the forest around her, the movement suddenly stopped. Through the ghostly shadows of two trees, Solo saw a human shape standing and staring straight at her. Wearing red, of course.

Solo lowered her gun, smiling despite herself. “Oh, it is you.”

The shape stepped forward, hands in pockets, a pale face coming into view. “Woah, Blue, reign it in a little. You'll make a girl blush with those sorts of grand overtures.”

The sound of Piper’s voice was very much welcome, and Solo laughed a little, relieved by her sarcasm. “Sorry. I’m happy to see you.”

Piper’s smile was a shining, beautiful thing. As if nothing else was holding her back, she rushed forward and threw her arms around Solo in an enthusiastic hug. She was dressed in her own clothes again, the press cap perched on her head, and Solo struggled not to knock it off as she hugged her back in kind. This was an even warmer welcome than she’d expected.

“You okay?” she asked softly, sounding much more outwardly worried than she’d meant to.

Solo hadn’t realized the extent of how truly anxious she had been for Piper’s safety; she wasn’t sure why or how the reporter had become so valuable to her, but there was no denying that her importance went beyond just being a traveling partner and fellow detective. Piper was her friend now, one that she hadn’t realized she needed, and it was only spending time with her that made Solo forget how much she had failed herself. And Nate, too. And… Shaun.

Piper pulled back, and Solo could see her cheeks were flushed a little red. “I’m fine… now.”

Solo scrutinized her, pleased to see that there were no visible injuries or marks on her face. She looked a little pale, and her features seemed more prominent than before, as if she hadn’t been eating much, but otherwise she really was fine. Still marveling at how long it had felt since she last saw the reporter, Solo didn’t let go of her hands, still smiling at her. It was odd how just the feeling of warm fingers intertwined with her own could alleviate her anxiety so easily. “You haven’t gone crazy, right?”

“Don’t think so.” Piper’s hazel-green eyes darted to the left a little, revealing her uncertainty. “Actually… considering what I’ve agreed to do, I might be.”

Solo finally did let go of her hands, though she pressed the small of her back instead, leading her over to the fire. They both sat side by side on Solo’s sleeping bag, still eyeing each other. While it had felt like a long enough time for Solo, she couldn’t imagine how it had been for Piper, stuck in that place with all those crazy people.

“So… what’s the job?” Solo asked casually.

“There’s a woman – Sister Gwyneth. I’m supposed to find her.”

“And?”

“And kill her.”

Solo felt a chill fluttering beneath her skin, understanding now what Piper had meant and why she’d needed Solo to come back for her. She was a reporter, not an assassin. But she was being treated like one.

“Good thing you’ve got me with you,” Solo joked. “You won’t have to get your hands dirty.”

Piper shot her a withering look. “From what I’ve heard, Gwyneth’s only crime is no longer believing in Atom. There’s no way in hell she deserves to die because of that.”

“Then we’ll find another way,” Solo said confidently.

Piper was silent for a little while. “You know, this’ll sound weird, Blue, but I really… missed you.”

Solo looked at her in surprise, realizing how subdued she looked. Had she? Her brain couldn’t quite formulate a thought to respond to that with; as usual, Piper was open and honest, and Solo was stuck behind her wall.

“I missed you too, Pipes.” She sounded awkward, but at least she’d gotten it out. “But… that’s over now.”

“What does _that_ mean?” Piper remarked, smiling.

Solo shrugged. “If they’re already letting you go out on your own, they trust you. Once you’ve done this job, we can start trying to get into the command center. So, I won’t leave again.”

“Good.” Piper looked away, as if realizing how inexplicably glad she’d sounded, and gave a little cough. “I know where we can start looking for Sister Gwyneth. One of the zealots gave me all the details – pretty easy to get them to talk when you say you saw the ‘Mother of the Fog’ in person.” She grinned. “Apparently, this woman is pretty hard to find. But it’s deciding what were’re we going to do with her when we find her that’s the tricky part.”

“Yeah.” Solo knew that she didn’t want Piper killing the woman if she was innocent. She would do it herself if she had to. Anything to make sure the other woman didn’t have to suffer the same nightmares as she did. Maybe their friendship had only recently been formed, but Solo already felt as if she had a fierce duty to protect her. A hard feat, considering Piper seemed to like throwing herself head-first into danger.

“Maybe we can convince her to flee the island.”

“As in, pretend to kill her?” Piper said with a small smile. “Like you did with Paladin Danse?”

“Exactly.”

Piper perked up a little at that. “That could work…”

“We’ll see when we find her,” Solo said firmly. “For now, I kind of want to know what you’ve been doing in there with all the lunatics. Made any friends?”

“Not really,” Piper said nervously.

Solo glanced at her with an eyebrow raised. “No one likes you?”

“No, I mean… I haven’t made any enemies, either,” she clarified.

“That’s new.”

Piper glowered at her and then softened at Solo’s sardonic smile. “I guess I deserved that.”

Solo leaned back on her hands, turning her eyes to the fire. “Tell me everything,” she said seriously. “Hold nothing back.”

 ---

It was already close to midday when they put out the fire and left the camp behind. Piper felt warm and oddly pleased, all of her stories from within the Nucleus finally out of her mind and off her shoulders. Everything she had told Solo about the jobs and her snooping around for the command center had been taken in stride. The woman had hardly blinked or reacted to any of it, though she did seem happy that Piper had stayed more or less under the radar.

It was strange, being back on the road with her again. On the one hand, Piper felt as if she had been stuck inside the Nucleus for much longer than a week; on the other, she also felt like she’d been traveling with Solo only yesterday. She’d never been more happy to see her – come to think of it, she’d never been more happy to see anybody.

“So… there anything else you learned about this woman you’ve been sent to find?” Solo asked.

Piper didn’t turn around, but she felt Solo’s hand touch her back momentarily as she moved to walk by her side. It felt natural, and yet part of her was thinking that Solo had never been a touchy person before – why was she suddenly so open? The change was a curious thing.

“Apparently, she was very loud about her theories,” Piper said. “As you may have guessed, that didn’t go down well. Tektus tried to confront her and she lashed out. And then she ran away.”

“And she’s smart?”

“That’s what Zealot Theil said.” Piper frowned in thought. “Though she could’ve been smarter about vandalizing those holy sites, right? Now they’re sending us after her.”

“We can get her out of this alive,” Solo said confidently.

“You really think so?” Piper shrugged, less certain. “I mean, I guess she’s a pretty tough cookie… but unless she agrees to stop taunting the Children, she’s going to end up dead.”

Solo didn’t reply to that; for some reason, she seemed dead-set on the idea of saving the woman from harm. Had these past days of truly helping people changed her for the better? Piper smiled at the thought, amused. Perhaps that was it – Solo had finally realized she had a heart. About time, too.

“What?”

Piper turned to look at Solo, raising her eyebrows. “What?”

“You’re smiling.” The woman glanced at her curiously. “Is there something funny?”

Piper hesitated. “Well… not to say you never had people’s best interests at heart, Blue, but you seem very heroic all of a sudden.”

“Heroic?” She looked slightly offended. “Destroying the Institute and saving the Commonwealth _wasn’t_ heroic, then?”

“I… didn’t word that properly,” Piper said, backtracking. “I meant, you’re bothered with people now. As in, that whole Brotherhood ‘for the greater good' complex is lost in the background.”

Solo, to her credit, looked more worried than pleased. “I’m not sure whether you’re trying to say that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“A good thing,” Piper told her genuinely. “I really think I’m rubbing off on you.”

Solo paused. “Maybe I’m just trying to impress you.”

Her words caught Piper by surprise, and she laughed nervously. “Well… it’s working.”

Had that been…? No, no – Solo was certainly not the type of woman who took to flirting. Certainly not with another woman. Unless… Piper had read her wrong. Completely wrong.

The tone in her voice had been unmistakable, however. The absent-minded touching, the openly caring about people, the mild flirting... there was some sort of change here that Piper was sure she wasn’t just reading into. Somehow, out of the blue, she had gotten her traveling partner to open up. This, she decided, was a very good thing.

She didn’t say anything, but she did sneak Solo a smile as they rejoined the road again, feeling as if she had accomplished some incredible achievement. If Solo, who had been cold and closed-off when Piper first met her, could be redeemed in this way, then anybody could. Even _she_ could be redeemed when she finally returned to Nat and tried to fix everything that had gone wrong.

“…And she’s smiling again.”

“Huh?” Piper blinked at her friend in confusion. “Can’t a girl just be happy without being interrogated?”

“Fine. Smile away.” Solo turned her attention to the road again, checking her Pip-Boy with a frown. “By the way, you do realize that all these holy sites are in the middle of nowhere?”

“Getting lost is half the adventure, Blue,” Piper quipped.

“If the adventure is supposed to lead to death… sure.” Solo flashed her smile. “In that case, getting lost sounds wonderful.”

“It’d be real bad for the island if we both wound up dead,” Piper admitted. “Let’s stay vigilant on this one.”

Solo didn’t need any more persuasion – her shiny new pistol came up, and it stayed above her chest for the rest of their walk. They said goodbye to the road once again as they surged back into the forest, both of them picking up the pace as they realized how much time they were likely to have left. Before she’d left, Richter had told Piper he expected her back either this evening or early tomorrow morning at the latest. If she didn’t return, he’d either assume she was dead or had failed the job. Which she couldn’t let happen, obviously.

Solo and Piper scaled the steep bank of a narrow river channel, skirted around a clearing of boulders, climbed several hills and rises, avoided a pack of hungry-looking wolves, and… found themselves in the middle of nowhere. Still.

“Apparently we’re here,” Solo said, checking her Pip-Boy again. They had both stopped for water, and Piper was staring around them incredulously.

“You think Zealot Theil gave me the wrong directions?”

“I think…” Solo trailed off. “Oh – look.”

Piper followed her gaze off to their left, examining the tree line. Just beyond it was the familiar orange glow of homemade lamps. The same glow which Piper had honestly grown sick of after being exposed to it for such a long period of time.

They headed over to it, pausing before a cluster of tables which had been set up against the large buttress roots of a tree. As expected, they were covered in candles and animal skulls, burnt textbooks and bibles stacked on all surfaces. Pinned to the tree’s trunk was a cork board with several pieces of paper on it. Leaning forward on her tiptoes, Solo ripped a piece off and brought it down to read it.

“Scraps torn from a banner or something,” she murmured. “Looks like some pieces are missing.”

“Great.” Piper looked around. “Time to put the detective hats back on, I guess.”

“Definitely.” Solo tucked all the banner pieces in the front pocket of her bag and slung it on her back once again. “Let’s keep going. There could be something else at the next site.”

They continued on, struggling to breathe only thinly as they passed several thick patches of fog. The ground had also turned to mush, and Piper winced as she realized how hard it would be to clean the mud off her boots later on. Oddly enough, as they walked, they passed a wide-open graveyard seemingly just as lost as they were. Most of the gravestones were overgrown with weeds, crumbled so much that the names on them couldn’t be read. Nevertheless, Piper sensed a deep sadness emanating off of Solo as she stopped to look at them.

After losing her father, Piper had at least had the benefit of some closure as she saw him lowered into the ground. Solo had never been able to bury either her husband or her son. They were loose ends, haunting her even now. After losing everything that she had, Piper still had no idea how the woman could function the way that she did. How did it feel to be an alien in the world you used to live in? How did it feel to leave everyone you ever loved behind?

Sympathetically, Piper found herself reaching for the woman’s hand. Solo twitched a little, but she didn’t pull away. Very gently, Piper squeezed it and then let go, wishing there was more she could do or say.

“It’s quiet,” Solo said.

“It is,” Piper agreed. “But then I guess most graveyards are.”

Solo nodded, muted as she cast one more look over the graves before hefting her bag and turning away. “Come on.”

Upon reaching the next holy site, Piper only found herself sighing. This shrine looked exactly the same as the last one: same tables, same textbooks, same candles and little carved trophies… did the Children of Atom have any sense of creativity?

Solo bent down and plucked pieces of paper off one of the tables, nodding when she compared them with those from the last site. “She’s definitely left us a trail of breadcrumbs. Pretty obvious, too. Your Zealot must’ve been pretty dumb if she couldn’t catch on.”

Piper shrugged. “Who’s to say what rads can do to your brain?”

“Fair enough.” Solo crouched beside one of the tables and began laying all the pieces out, considering the different fonts. Piper watched over her shoulder.

“Can you see any patterns?” Solo asked after a moment.

Piper crouched down beside her and placed her hands on the pieces of paper, deftly beginning to rearrange them. She already had an idea of what they would spell out, though she’d never heard of the place before.

“There,” she said finally, with an air of triumph. “Waketak Station.”

Solo shot her an impressed look. “Have you seriously never been asked by Valentine to help with a case?”

“I like to think I could've been a detective in another life," Piper said, pleased by Solo's flattery. 

Her friend smiled and then turned back to the pieces of paper. “So, my guess is she’s holed up in some kind of campground. Let’s see if the Islander’s Almanac can give us a clue…”

From her bag she pulled a folded piece of paper, and Piper frowned as she spread it out on the table, revealing a gigantic map.

“Whoa. Where’d you get that?”

“Far Harbor.” She grinned. “Helping people does have its uses. Got to know the island better, for one.”

They both searched for the name, following the roads and rivers with their fingers. Finally, Solo tapped the page with a smile. “Here. It’s not too far. We can make it by nightfall, I think.”

Piper glanced up at her, drawn into the intensely animated expression on her face. They were close together, shoulders touching, creating a warmth between them that was unmatched by any sort of radiator or sleeping bag. Piper was charmed by her, admittedly. She looked even more like one of those beautiful adventurers you’d see in comic books now; bleached-white hair floating across her forehead, eyes a stormy grey, full lips pulled into a satisfied smile. Very carefully, Piper tore her gaze away, standing up.

“Let’s go, then.”


	17. Epiphany and Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper and Solo continue their search for Sister Gwyneth, following her trail of clues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my last chapter for now - you can expect to the see the next one in two weeks! Not really sure I want to spoil any of it, so all I'll say is... enjoy the read.

“Oh, for fuck’s _sake_!” Solo growled, ripping through the Gulper’s head simultaneously with that last word. It gurgled, body still twitching, but collapsed to the ground instead of attacking her once more. She plunged the combat knife again into its back, twisting with all of her strength until it grew still. As she stepped back and wiped the knife off on her BOS uniform, she caught Piper grinning over at her.

“What?” she snapped.

“You really showed that guy.”

Solo huffed at her sarcasm, bending to slide the blade back into her boot. “You could’ve helped.”

Piper’s eyes sparkled. “Oh yeah?”

Sensing Piper was just baiting her, Solo sighed and nodded her head past the carcasses of their ex-foes. “You lead the way this time, then. My turn to stand back and watch.”

“Sure!” she said cheerfully, already taking charge.

Following along behind her, Solo smirked at the confident tilt of her shoulders. “Do you even know where we’re going? Or where we are?”

“Oh, yes. Best way to keep your bearings out here is... wait, if the sun's over there... uh, you've got the map, right?”

Solo couldn’t help but laugh, lengthening her strides so she could walk by the reporter’s side. “You know, your leadership skills could really use some work.”

“Thanks for that, Blue.”

“Sure thing. You can always count on me to hurt your feelings when you’re in need.”

Piper rolled her eyes. “I’d take hurt feelings over being dead or alone any day.”

“Good to know I’m so cherished,” Solo returned humorously.

Piper was silent for a long moment, glancing sideways at Solo as if surprised by something she’d said. “Blue… you do realize you’re pretty much my only friend?”

Well, it hadn’t taken much to figure that out. Piper didn’t seem like she was good at making friends; or, rather, it was just other people were too wary of her to get close.

With her eyes now trained on the forest floor and the backs of Piper’s mud-smeared, beaten leather boots, Solo tried to decide how and why it was she had decided to get close to the reporter despite her previous prejudices. It was odd for her to make a connection so fast, to give her trust so easily, tentative though it was. There was something in the way Piper smiled, a warmth, an authenticity, a softness of spirit she just couldn't pass up. She listened like she was absorbing her words, looked at her like she saw everything deep within her. The more time Solo spent with her, the more her spirit lifted.

“I don’t exactly have many friends, either,” Solo said thoughtfully.

“Hey, I’m not one to judge.” Piper skipped over a log as easily as if it had been a mere twig on the ground, taking on that look Solo was starting to recognize as her diving back into the past. “You know, when my first edition hit the stands, I felt like I'd finally done something worth doing, but afterwards, things… things changed.”

She shrugged noncommittally, but Solo saw a glint of emotion in her eyes – clearly, admitting something like this wasn’t what she normally did.

“People didn't want to talk the way they used to. Seemed that overnight I'd gone from being Piper, friend and confidant, to Piper, the nosy snoop. A lot of folks, they haven't treated me the same since. It started to feel like the only person I could count on was my little sis.”

Solo bit her lip, not sure what to say. She knew exactly what loneliness felt like. After Nate and Shaun, she’d been stuck in a dream, struggling to get back to reality. She’d screamed out for help but it had only sunken her deeper and deeper into a sea filled with her mistakes. Loneliness could be suffocating. It could leave you trapped.

“That was a long time ago,” Solo said. “People can’t still treat you that way, surely.”

“You'd think, but if anything, it's gotten worse. Sure, I've earned some friends back in town, but now I've even got a reputation outside Diamond City.” Her little smile did nothing to overcome the dejection in her eyes. “It’s why I’m happy to have someone like you. You’re not afraid of me like everyone else.”

“Afraid?” Solo grinned. “You’re all bark and no bite, Pipes.”

Piper rolled her eyes and shifted to bump shoulders with Solo as they walked. “Great way to turn an emotional confession into ammunition for your sarcasm, Solo. I appreciate it.”

The use of her real name for the first time almost left Solo reeling. It sounded strange coming from Piper’s mouth, only hinting at how serious she was about this conversation. Quickly, Solo sobered up, wiping the smile off her face.

“You can count on me,” she said honestly.

Piper’s expression was one of genuine happiness. “I know I can.”

“…Good.” Solo shoved her hands in her pockets, feeling this was very much out of character for her, too. When was the last time she’d tried to trust somebody this much? When had she last offered unconditional help and support to someone?

“Thank you,” Piper said.

Solo stared at her. “For what?”

“For being the friend I can count on. I was sure that the paper would be the best thing I ever did in my life. But being here with you, now… now I don't know.”

To her exasperation, Solo felt her cheeks get a little warm, and she hurriedly looked away to hide how much Piper’s words had really affected her. “I feel the same way. There's no one I'd rather have watching my back.”

Piper looked embarrassed, too. After a few moments of walking in silence, she remarked, “Jeez… we’re both a little soppy today, aren’t we?”

“You started it.”

“Well, the better half of a week spent in a bunker full of radiation can mess with your head,” she retorted. “What’s your excuse?”

Quietly, Solo muttered, “I’ll give you that.”

They smiled at each other, afterwards drifting into silence. Not a tense, shallow silence, but one that was somehow comforting and spoke for itself. Solo tried not to think about Piper, but she simply couldn’t stop wondering at how someone so honest and so generous could be disliked by so many. Were there any good people left in the Commonwealth? Did anyone even care about generosity and thoughtfulness anymore? Solo was glad that at least she did.

Without a secure attachment to someone – a harbor of safety – life was nothing but a torture to endure and survive. Piper had become a constant dose of emotional morphine, granting her freedom from her loneliness. The mystery of how she had become so important so fast… it could only be explained through that. Solo had been in need of someone without complexity and guise, who accepted who she was and lived with it, who was selfless and smart, and –

Well, she might as well stop there. Piper was all of these things. And she was brave, too, braver than almost anyone else Solo had met. This had begun earning Solo’s respect a long time ago, before she herself had even realized it.

The epiphany hit her out of nowhere.

At this point, Piper meant more to her than anyone else she’d met in the Commonwealth. More even than her own adult son had. The paths lay before her, as always, like an impossible maze. But this time was different. One path began to gleam as if it were made of the rays of the sun itself and the other paths melted away. After all the worry she’d felt over the past week while she was apart from the reporter, and all the stories she’d heard about Piper’s life, and about her little sister Nat, and the paper… Solo finally understood this tense, unabating feeling deep in her chest.

It was strange – frightening even – how you could go from someone being a complete stranger, to then being completely captivated by them and wondering how it ever was that you were able to live without them. Solo sure as hell couldn’t imagine being without Piper now.

It was brilliant, and it was terrifying.

 ---

“Is that it?” Piper squinted into the Fog, seeing only the shapes of buildings in the distance. “What does your map say?”

Solo had marked the campground on her Pip-Boy, and she checked it with a frown before delivering a terse nod. “That’s it.”

Piper was buzzing with enthusiasm. It had been a while since she’d been able to get her adrenaline running again out in the field. Even though she was unsure of how this job was going to end, she was determined to get Sister Gwyneth out of here safe. Whatever it took.

During their mostly silent walk here, Solo had been closed off and cold, and Piper decided it was because she’d pushed her too far out of her comfort zone. Had Solo ever talked about her feelings before? Piper didn’t think so. Their soppy friendship talk had been a step in the right direction. Now, though, Piper needed her to be alert and open, not silent and distant.

“Blue?”

“Yes?” Solo looked up from her Pip-Boy, grey eyes only momentarily gracing her face before moving away again.

“Is everything okay? Are you ready for this?”

“Sure.” She was still looking at her Pip-Boy instead of Piper, though. Almost like she was embarrassed about something.

Puzzled, Piper shook her head and decided to forget about it. She drew Solo’s old laser pistol out from under her coat and checked the ammo, glad to see it was still full. She hadn’t gotten used to the reloading mechanism, so she was thankful she wouldn’t be switching out during a fight.

“Let’s go.”

They crept from the tree line towards the dilapidated cabins below, keeping their footsteps light on the undergrowth. It certainly didn’t help that darkness was coming and the Fog had swept in – they could hardly see more than ten feet ahead of them. Soon, the visibility would be even worse.

As they rounded one of the cabins, there was the deep rumbling of thunder in the distance. Piper winced. “D’you think the storm will slow us down?”

“I don’t know. Probably.” Solo re-settled the Gatling laser over her shoulders. “Guess we better get to investigating.”

They split up, one of them heading towards the cabins on the left and the other towards those on the right. Piper watched Solo’s figure turn into only a shadow as she stalked off, feeling a chill run through her as she realized she could no longer see her. She walked slowly to the right, sweeping her gun over the remnants of a very old campfire, collapsed verandas and patios, burnt-out barbecues, and picnic tables. Back in the day, this would have been a very popular camping ground, she was sure.

Through the doorway of one of the cabins, Piper saw an orange glow – her pulse rate sped up, and she immediately locked her sights on it. When she stepped inside and looked around, however, she saw nobody; just some familiar lamps and burnt textbooks. There were also several mattresses and cans of red paint in here. It seemed Piper had found out where Sister Gwyneth had been hiding.

But where was the woman herself?

Piper stepped out of the building, not liking the deathly silence much, and tried to look out for Solo through the Fog. Where had she even gone? She climbed down the steps and lowered her gun, frowning up the hill at the forest. Sister Gwyneth could be anywhere in this campsite. Or she could be collecting supplies. Perhaps she’d even be out vandalizing another holy ruin.

A low, hostile growl sent Piper’s pulse spiking again, and she twisted to the right just in time to see glowing eyes watching her from underneath the veranda of the cabin next door. Predatory wolf eyes.

In a neutral voice she wasn’t sure Solo would hear, Piper called, “Blue! Company!”

To the wolf, she muttered, “Come on out, then.”

As if it had understood her, the eyes shone like liquid silver and the wolf crawled out into the daylight. Behind it, several more pairs of eyes could be seen, and she heard similar growls. They all began crawling out from under the veranda to face her, sniffing at the air as if to detect whether she was a threat or not. All of them were huge, covered in thick fur, their teeth long and sharp. Piper wanted to call Solo for backup again, but she had a feeling these wolves would attack if they sensed any fear from her.

It was time to either shoot or run.

The alpha took a menacing step towards her, eyes locked on her face, snarling again. Self-consciously, Piper took a step back. _Just shoot them already_ , she warned herself.

But Piper was too used to shooting only when she was attacked first. She’d never been trigger-happy.

The wolf lunged.

Piper pressed the trigger instinctively, and it flew back almost as quickly as it had jumped forward, landing with a whimper. The other wolves only hesitated a second before they were all on her, knocking her to the ground even as she shot at them. She kicked at one that tried to lock its jaws around her ankle, ripping her arm away from another that had been trying to tear her hand to pieces. Her gun went off multiple times, but it only seemed to make the remaining wolves angrier.

Finally, there were two left, and she cried out as one of them disabled her shooting arm, giant paws pressing down on her chest as it locked its jaws over her shoulder. The moment it began pressing down, she felt the bone crack and her vision momentarily blurred from the flaring agony. Weakly, she kicked up, but the second wolf was already trying to grab ahold of her leg, growling viciously.

“ _Blue_...!”

In her mind, she was being ripped to pieces, and she felt she was going to die. She would never see Nat again.

And then, as she’d hoped but not expected, a tall female shape appeared out of nowhere, kicking hard at the beast on top of her. Its jaws were still locked onto her shoulder, but it tumbled off her chest with a wheezy growl and loosened its hold. Piper hit at it again, this time managing to yank herself away and roll to the side. Solo was on it immediately, stabbing it coldly and efficiently through the neck and completely cleaving the spinal cord in two – Piper heard the snapping sound.

As the other wolf left Piper and launched itself at her, Solo dodged swiftly to the side and dropped down on top of it with her knife. Three clean stabs later, and the wolf was silent and still.

Solo left no time to check the dead bodies, jogging over and falling to her knees beside Piper. The terrified look in her eyes was something Piper had never seen before. With a groan, she tried to sit up, but Solo’s hand pressed her back down gently.

“Is-is that it?” Piper managed to ask, hoping to sound flippant through the pain.

“That’s it.” Solo already had a stimpack in her hand, and held Piper still as she jabbed it into her upper arm. The sting only added to the agony in her shoulder, and Piper tilted her head back against the grass, stifling her muted sounds of pain. Solo’s voice was wavering: “Pipes, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

Piper stared up at the sky, feeling embarrassment layering on top of the pain now. “I can… normally handle myself.”

“I know.” To her surprise, Solo pressed a palm to her face and smiled down at her. “But I’d rather have your back anyway.”

Piper still felt embarrassed. For some reason, it was only when she was with Solo that she seemed to absolutely fail at fighting. She’d been fine with all the ghouls at that shrine, hadn’t she?

“Can you… help me sit up?” she inquired.

Solo took her hand and slung one arm under her shoulders, lifting her. Piper winced, though the stimpack was at least already having an effect on the pain. She let out a little sigh and then stretched her neck, checking that the rest of her body hadn’t been ripped apart.

“That was pretty close,” she muttered.

Solo didn’t reply, but the crease between her eyebrows betrayed how worried she was. “You should’ve called me.”

“I did,” Piper retorted.

The woman pressed her lips together into a thin line and this time stayed truly silent, eyes sweeping over Piper’s face. There was a lot of conflict in her expression – more than Piper had expected to see.

“I found out where Sister Gwyneth has been staying,” Piper said, trying to fill the silence. “And when I came out to find you, the wolves were waiting for me.”

Again, Solo still didn’t say anything, but she touched Piper’s injured shoulder gently before letting go of her. “I found a holotape in one of the other cabins,” she said finally. “Your Sister Gwyneth is probably just as crazy as all the other Children.”

“What d’you mean?”

“She was preaching about the ‘vast emptiness inside us’, how we’re all dead, cold and full of ‘Nothing’. Maybe she doesn’t believe in Atom, but she’s definitely got a religion all of her own.”

Piper sighed. The ache in her shoulder had turned into a dull throb. “Where is she?”

“Some old church close to here.” Solo eyed her carefully. “Are you okay to make it there?”

“I’m fine.” Piper pushed her away and struggled to her feet determinedly, picking the laser pistol off the ground. She wouldn’t be using her right arm for a little while, but at least it was healing. “Thanks for saving me, Blue.”

“You’re always welcome.”

But Solo was still frowning at her, almost as if she was angry with her. Piper didn’t really like how she looked when she was angry. Her eyes were so much darker and greyer, more like metal than smoke. And her face was as cold and hard as ice. It wasn’t as if the anger made her any less beautiful, but it certainly drew every ounce of softness from her features and made her look more like a Brotherhood soldier than ever. To be on the receiving end of that enraged expression… well, it was a little frightening.

As they started walking again, still hearing thunder rumbling in the distance, Piper couldn’t help but continue to glance over at her. The anger was still smoldering beneath her stony expression, bubbling like lava under the surface.

Was it because Piper had almost gotten herself seriously hurt? Or was it because Solo was tired of always having to save her from things she should be able to deal with herself?

Biting her tongue, Piper turned her eyes to the ground and tried to focus on what she would tell Sister Gwyneth. If this woman was dead-set on whatever she believed in now, surely they could convince her to go and believe in it elsewhere? Maybe if she went to the Commonwealth and kept to herself, she would be all right.

The church was up the hill on the other side of the campsite, right on the edge of a very small town. Most of the buildings had crumbled to the ground, though a few still stood, deserted and empty of furniture. The church itself was tall and untouched by whatever had destroyed the rest of the town; even the white paint hadn’t yet been worn away.

Solo led them around the church, her own pistol held aloft to protect the both of them. Her anger quickly turned to a fierce sense of duty, and she ignored Piper completely.

When they entered, they heard and saw Gwyneth simultaneously:

“The Children of Atom have allowed themselves to be deceived, and I must show them the truth! There is no Atom! There is Nothing! Nothing is endless, Nothing is deathless, and Nothing is without fear or remorse-”

Solo’s foot hit a creaky floorboard, cutting the woman off. She instantly rose from her prayer and twisted to stare at them. In the cool darkness of the church, Piper could see how young and crazed she looked.

“Stop!” she demanded. “This is a sacred place. Why have you come here? Are you seeking the truth of Nothing?”

Piper frowned, examining her carefully for any signs of injury. She was still wearing her Children of Atom robes, her face caked in dust and dirt. There was a dejected set to her shoulders.

“The truth of Nothing?” Piper questioned. “What does that mean?”

Sister Gwyneth’s eyes lit up. “If you are truly prepared to hear it, then I will tell you. The Children of Atom have been deceived by Martin, by Tektus… it’s a false gospel, all of it! What they don’t want you to know is that Atom is but a tiny mote in the vastness of Nothing.” She paused for greater effect. “ _Nothing_ is the true nature of existence. I have seen it with my own eyes… a void so vast and empty, like a night sky without stars.”

Piper tilted her head so she could glance at Solo. Her partner’s eyes betrayed the same puzzlement as hers did. Was this woman really any better than the Children? Surely all she had done was shift her previous beliefs to take on others that were just as constricting, just as controlling.

“I know it is difficult to accept,” Sister Gwyneth said, mistaking their silence for stubbornness. “But you must. And so must the others. They deserve to know the truth.”

Piper hesitated, taking a step forward. “Look, I was sent by the Children to come and find you. I know you think you’re trying to save the Children of Atom, but… fear and doubt have blinded you. I think, in your heart, you don’t believe any of this.”

“I can’t think about that now,” she said immediately, shaking her head. “I’ve strayed so far from the path. I don’t dare look back.”

Already seeing the resistance in Sister Gwyneth’s eyes, Piper changed tactics. “You’re out here all alone. Don’t you miss your brothers and sisters at the Nucleus? I know they’re like a family to you.”

Her eyes softened. “Of course. I miss them more than anything. I’ve never been alone before.” She steepled her fingers, though it was more out of nervousness than because she was deep in thought. “If I thought there was a chance they might accept me…” She sighed. “But I’m a heretic, and my life is forfeit.”

Piper was about to try and tug a little harder on her heartstrings, but Solo had already grown impatient with the conversation. She stepped forward past Piper and said, “If you stay here, you’re as good as dead. You need to leave this island and never come back.”

The woman flinched a little at Solo’s abrupt movement and deadpan speech, taken aback. Several long seconds of tense silence passed before her eyes dropped to the ground and she lost all evidence of mulishness. “There’s… wisdom in your words,” she mumbled. “If I cannot save the Children of Atom from their blindness, perhaps I can spread the word elsewhere.”

“Exactly!” Piper agreed, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible. “The Commonwealth, maybe?”

The woman’s eyes flashed with what could only be described as sudden excitement. “Yes! Nothing’s will has become clearer to me now. I must spread the message to all who will hear, no matter how far the journey.”

As if to approve of her excited words, thunder trembled loudly overhead, shaking the roof of the church. Sister Gwyneth bowed her head. “You should tell Richter and the others that I’m dead. I can’t risk them following me.”

“Of course,” Piper said.

Sister Gwyneth turned to Solo and smiled. “Thank you for opening my eyes to that which I could not see.”

“You’re… welcome…?” Solo stared at her with slight befuddlement.

“You should leave now before the storm sets in,” she added. “May Nothing’s will guide you to safety.”

When Solo made no move to leave the church, still staring at the woman in confusion, Piper reached for her hand and began pulling her to the doorway. They heard Sister Gwyneth mumbling to herself as they left, rounding the church and starting down the hill just as rain began to fall.

“The Commonwealth hardly needs anymore crazies,” Solo muttered. “But I guess it’s good she’ll be safe. As long as she actually _does_ leave…”

Piper dropped her hand, realizing she was still holding it, and saw a flicker of something move across Solo’s face. It was gone before she had time to read it.

“She seems like a harmless crazy,” Piper pointed out lightly.

Solo rolled her eyes. “There’s no type of crazy that’s harmless, Piper.”

“Not even-”

“ _None_.”

Her abruptness was a little out of character after everything they’d been through together. Piper looked at her with some annoyance, trying to understand why she was still angry. Her shoulder hardly hurt anymore, and besides… she’d dealt with most of those wolves before Solo had gotten to her, anyway. Was there no sense of victory for having completed the mission without killing anyone? They had saved a woman’s life, and there was hardly even a smile on her friend’s face.

“Okay, what is it?” Piper demanded. “What’s your problem?”

Solo looked at her as if surprised by her outburst. “What do you mean?”

“Really, Blue? You’re gonna act like you haven’t been pissed off since we left the campsite?”

“I’m not pissed off.”

Piper scoffed at that. “I can’t even believe… You know what? Fine. If you’re not pissed off, what the hell is going on?”

“Nothing,” Solo said simply. “Maybe I’m just tired and cold.”

“Tired of having to protect me, that it?” she insisted. She stopped walking and turned to face Solo full-on, irritated that the woman refused to even admit to her anger. “If that’s your problem, I don’t know why you bothered coming back to help me when I asked you to.”

Solo opened her mouth and then closed it again, eyes flashing. “That’s not at all what I’m angry about, Piper.”

She sounded shocked enough that Piper allowed herself to calm down. “Then you admit you _are_ angry, after all?”

Solo scowled. “Angry? Fine, yes. But it’s not meant to be directed at you. I’m sorry if you thought it was.”

Now it was Piper’s turn to be lost for words. Had she really read that wrong? She definitely had a tendency to make everything about her sometimes. The fact Solo had actually apologized made her feel like an absolute idiot. Subdued, she ducked her head and scuffed at the ground with her boots, trying to build up the courage to apologize.

Solo sighed. “You just had me worried back there, Pipes. That’s all. I was concerned.”

“That’s all?” Piper wasn’t sure whether to believe her or not. If it was true, then… that was kind of sweet. But most people who were concerned didn’t act so cold and closed-off; didn’t make it seem like their friend had done something terribly wrong.

The woman touched her own face self-consciously, tucking some silvery locks of hair behind her ear. She seemed extremely uncertain now. “I'm sorry. I know I was acting strange.” Solo cleared her throat. “I’ll stop.”

There was something so completely un-Solo about the way she’d said that, with such submission and softness, that Piper wondered fleetingly if she’d been replaced with a synth at some point throughout their journey. Piper had no idea what was going on with her. She didn’t know if she wanted to find out. Either way… at least she knew her friend wasn’t angry with her.

“I’m sorry I freaked out.” Piper tried for a smile. “Can we just get back to the way things were?”

“Sure.” Solo smiled too, though it was marred with yet more of that blurry emotion Piper couldn’t understand.

The rain became heavier as they stood there, pelting down at them, and they both flinched and glanced up at the sky. Piper was not ready to become cold _and_ wet. As if to prove her point, a shiver took ahold of her and she was forced to wrap her arms around herself to make it stop. “Guess we should get back to the Nucleus before we get stuck out here,” she muttered grimly.

“Guess so.”

And then, just like that, they began walking again as if nothing had happened. Silent, thoughtful travelling partners, back on the road.

Solo was true to her word. If Piper started up a conversation, she would keep it up on her end like there was absolutely nothing wrong. The anger, if it was still there, was no longer visible. She still kept close as they entered the Fog and the forest beyond; still continued to leave fleeting touches on Piper’s back and hands as if to give her invisible indications of which way they were going and what to watch out for. The impossibility of the way Solo was acting didn’t leave Piper’s mind. She was thinking about it all the way back to the more familiar forest surrounding the Nucleus.

Even when they reached their camp and Piper realized she would have to return to the submarine base now, leaving Solo behind, she couldn’t stop thinking about how odd her partner was acting. It was pitch black around them now, and she watched with her arms wrapped around herself, shivering, as Solo set up the fire.

“Stay and dry off first,” Solo told her.

“I will.” Piper accepted easily, knowing already how cold it would be inside the Nucleus. She certainly wasn’t eager to get back. Shifting forwards, she accepted Solo’s invitation and sat down on the edge of her sleeping bag, still wanting to give the other woman some space.

Solo glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and then leaned forward to toss some more twigs into the fire. The flames devoured them in a flash of scorching heat and then resumed with their quiet crackling. Piper sighed as she felt the warmth caressing her numb cheeks and nose, already drying the rainwater and damp Fog from her clothes. She watched Solo feed the fire with curiosity, enjoying the way it made her skin glow red, orange and gold. Even her hair seemed to reflect the flickering colours, her eyes containing small reflections of the flames. If Piper had ever been any good at art, she would have wanted to paint Solo in this moment, swathed in all those colours. She looked like a museum piece brought to life.

“So…” Solo finally sat back and turned to Piper, a tranquil smile on her face. “The real mission can now begin.”

“Yeah.” Piper hugged her arms around her knees.

“With everything you know now, do you think it’s possible to get me in?”

“With Tektus and Richter off my back… yes,” Piper said confidently. “The command center is guarded all day every day, but at night…”

“We’ll have our chance.” Solo smiled wider. “When we have DiMA’s memories, we can take Kasumi home. Get off the island.”

“Unless the memories contain worrying information,” Piper reminded her.

“In that case…” Solo’s smile faltered only a little bit. “Well, I hope that’s not the case. Whatever’s on those memories, I now have reason to believe it’ll be much safer in Acadia than with the Children of Atom. I may not trust DiMA, but at least he’s not a lunatic.”

“We don’t know that,” Piper said mildly.

Solo only shrugged.

Piper wanted to get home to Diamond City more than anything. She wanted to fix things with Nat. She also wanted to be able to write a whole series of papers about Far Harbor and her adventure with Solo into the unknown. Already, the adventure was much more exciting than anything she’d ever written about.

But it didn’t feel like it was over. She had an ominous feeling deep in the pit of her stomach that told her things would not work out so well. Something made her think DiMA was not a good man like Nick Valentine, and somehow there _would_ be war between everyone on the island. Kasumi could die in the fray. So could Old Longfellow, Captain Avery… everyone they had met so far on the island. Innocent lives could be lost.

Piper didn’t feel like putting a damper on Solo’s positive attitude, however, so she kept quiet about her concerns and let the fire lull her into a state of calm. She let it warm her skin and her soul as she sat beside her only friend – which sounded just about as sad as it was – and thought about being home again. Christmas in Diamond City with her sister by her side. Maybe Solo would be there, too, in a perfect world.

After a while, her clothes were dry, and Piper released a long sigh. “I guess I should get back in there, shouldn’t I?”

Solo’s eyes explicitly said that she didn’t want Piper to go. Still, she stood up with her and walked her to the edge of the camp to say goodbye. Their short trip to find Sister Gwyneth had, as usual, felt like an extremely long one. Now they would have to part again. Piper was glad they had at least established something in their friendship, though. After all this time, Solo was starting to become much less of a mystery to her. Even if she was acting a little odd.

Piper was about to hug her goodbye, but Solo surprised her by reaching out towards her face. She brushed her hair back gently and moved in so close that Piper could feel her lean body pressed up against her own. She blinked in surprise at their sudden proximity, feeling like she was missing something.

“You’ll be okay?”

“Uh…” Piper wondered if her face was as red as it felt. She nodded, eyes dropping to the ground. “Yeah.”

Warm breath made her neck tingle, Solo’s chin tilting down and her soft cheek brushing against Piper’s jaw. At first, Piper thought she was going in for a hug – instead, the tender brush of lips almost made her flinch, burning as they made contact with her neck, just barely tracing over the skin. A gasp of surprise left her before she could stop it, her hands instinctively grasping the straps of Solo’s armor.

_…What?!_

Fingers ran gently through her hair, and Piper struggled to remain still as Solo’s other hand slid around her waist and tugged her closer.

“Blue…” she whispered breathlessly, surprised and buzzing with a thousand questions.

Solo smelled like that same nostalgic perfume she remembered, intoxicatingly close and warm, her hands like anchor points on Piper’s body. She… didn’t want it to stop. At all. As confused as she was, Piper couldn’t help but soften as Solo began nuzzling her neck with delicate kisses so faint that they were almost non-existent. Her lips were so soft, her hands only touching her lightly as if she was holding something incredibly delicate. The kisses traced the curve of her throat, Solo’s head angling slightly to the side as her lips came closer and closer to Piper’s mouth, pressing into her skin with more intensity. Piper found her breathing coming out sharp and erratic, hands clutching Solo’s armor tighter.

She was trying to remember how this began, how this beautiful woman came to be holding her and touching her like this, but everything before their proximity was a blur.

Their breaths mingled. Piper’s heart fluttered frantically inside her chest as she realized Solo had paused and was just looking at her. They were so close, close enough that Piper could touch her however she wanted to. But she was too nervous to know what to do. Those light grey eyes were even more stunning up close, flecked with blue and silver, the dilated pupils revealing her yearning. Solo’s hand moved from her hair to her face, resting below her ear, her thumb caressing her cheek.

There were so many things Piper wanted to say, questions she wanted to ask, but none of the words migrated past her throat. What did this mean? Where had it come from? As unexpected as it was, Piper couldn’t deny that this felt right – never in a million years would she push this woman away. It was simply impossible.

Almost cautiously, Solo leaned in and captured her lips in a soft kiss, and the world fell away. It was slow and gentle, comforting in ways that words would never be. Without even questioning it, Piper reached for the other woman, arms wrapping tight around her. She ran her fingers down her spine, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them and she could feel the beating of her heart against her chest. There was a soft sound, a gasp almost, that was uttered against Piper’s lips. It made her head swim and her pulse race faster. 

Solo didn’t push her far enough; the kiss was, if anything, much too short. And then she was pulling away, stepping back like she was barefoot on hot coals. Her expression was unreadable, her eyes locked on the ground.

Piper was left blinking hazily at the other woman, buzzing with a thousand feelings she could hardly name. The sudden rush of cold air now that there was distance between them brought Piper instantly back to reality.

“Uh…wow.”

Solo’s eyes flickered down again, and she took another small step backwards. Even in the darkness, Piper could see how pink her cheeks were.

“I …” Piper glanced down and rubbed at her arms, then smiled up at her wryly. “Heh. Goosebumps.”

Solo let out a sigh. Suddenly, she was just as closed-off as she’d been earlier. “You should get back to the Nucleus.”

“Should I?” Piper hesitated, eyes locked on the other woman’s face. She would much rather stay out here. It wasn’t as if the Children would miss her presence, after all; they didn’t even know she was back.

“I… need some time to think,” Solo explained firmly, not meeting her eyes. “You should go.”

The note of impatience in her voice made Piper instantly feel horribly anxious – did Solo regret it? Had Piper been imagining the longing in her eyes only a few moments before? Should she have questioned what was happening or pushed her away?

Piper nodded awkwardly, grimacing against the sting of rejection. She shifted on her feet, left feeling bitter and confused. Quietly, she said, “Okay. I’ll go.”

Solo looked up at her in alarm when she heard the upset tone in her voice. “Piper-”

“Blue,” she muttered, self-conscious. “Have your space. You know where I’ll be.”

And then she walked off, moving as quickly as possible away from all stinging feelings of embarrassment. She was so goddamn confused, but also a little dazed. Maybe, somewhere far in the back of her mind where she understood where that kiss had come from, she was even excited that it had happened. But here in the real world, where it seemed Solo’s affection had arisen out of nowhere, she only felt like she’d been picked up by a hurricane and then dropped again somewhere else. Somewhere completely foreign to her.

Had she somehow communicated that she’d wanted the kiss to happen? Was it that Solo had expected her to push her away?

 _You’ve really messed things up now, Piper_ , she thought furiously. _As usual_.

But God … at least she knew she’d have that on her mind for a while. A kiss. A kiss from a beautiful friend who apparently could be more than a friend now. Or not a friend at all, seeing how quickly Piper had been dismissed afterwards.

Was it all ruined? Would they never be able to see eye to eye again?

Piper felt the anxiety piling weight on top of her chest, pushing her down even as she walked into the Children’s compound and nodded at the guards by the base’s door. They stepped back immediately, recognizing her, and she passed through into the radioactive world beyond without hesitation.

All of a sudden, the Nucleus didn’t seem like a bad place anymore. At least it gave her a way to hide.


	18. Tactical Thinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solo and Piper plan their infiltration into the command center (whilst trapped in awkward tension).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, not quite 2 weeks like I said, but less time is better. Right? I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Next one is likely to be up this coming weekend.

Solo had felt exhausted enough to sleep, but after Piper left for the Nucleus, she hadn’t bothered. Instead, she spent the night feeding the fire and twisting her wedding ring around her finger.

Nate had been a brilliant man – he was still the greatest man Solo had ever known. It was a strange thing to lose something important which she once had, like a limb torn from her body without the chance to save it. After she’d woken in the vault, seen Nate’s lifeless body, and worked up the impossible courage through her tears to escape, his loss had torn and seared her insides like an unquenchable fire. Over the months without him, without anyone, the pain became more like a thin layer of ice, cooling her insides, a gentle reminder of the pain that came before and a warning not to fuel that fire again. She hadn’t thought she’d ever be able to survive it. How could she dare put her heart out there again after Nate?

But somehow… somehow there was some nosy reporter who had wound up in her sights. A brash, pushy papergirl with too much to lose, who always seemed to get into trouble and had perhaps the biggest heart out of anyone in the Commonwealth. This was what made Piper and Nate so similar, she supposed: their _goddamn_ mindless need to throw themselves into danger to help people they didn’t even know.

Sure, Piper had annoyed her at first. She’d never listened. After coming straight from the Brotherhood, the reporter’s impulsivity and lack of caution had shocked her. But Solo couldn’t control her feelings any more than she could control when she wanted to eat or when she felt tired. And her feelings for Piper had been building behind the scenes for a while. If she weren’t so kind, so selfless, so much like Nate… Solo surely wouldn’t be feeling like this at all.

Piper, as per usual, had been completely oblivious. Solo had been able to tell as much from the way she reacted when she’d kissed her; with nothing less than shock and confusion, that typical red flush of embarrassment staining her cheeks as she tried to act afterwards like she’d taken it in stride. But Solo knew her better now. She knew that Piper was a firecracker, always with the right words to say, taking control of the room whenever she needed to, eyes following her wherever she went. But she was also easily embarrassed. Easy to catch off-guard. Sometimes, in the moments where she was forced to face her own truth, she had absolutely no idea what to say or do.

Some sinful part of Solo thought it was absolutely adorable. She should have noticed it before this went so far. Before she was forced to face everything that had gone wrong and fix it.

“What the hell are you doing?” she muttered to herself in frustration.

The lives of everyone on the island were on the line, and Solo was suddenly busy with her little crush on the woman she’d only just become friends with. How the hell were they going to be able to concentrate on the mission now?

Kicking dirt into the fire, Solo leaped to her feet and scowled at the forest around her. After losing Shaun, she had started thinking about Nate much more. Now, all she could think was that she was betraying him; that he was watching her and she was only a disappointment to him. Falling for a woman? That wasn’t the bad part. It was the fact she thought she was capable of loving anybody after Nate that should be ridiculous.

Sighing, Solo properly stamped out the smoldering embers of the fire, zipping up her bomber jacket and collecting her knit cap out of her bag. She then put the bag on her back, picked up her Gatling laser, and glared down at her Pip-Boy. During her time in Far Harbor, she’d heard about how many Trapper settlements were out here. Maybe a fight would serve well enough to soak up her frustration.

She set off with angry footsteps, trying to concentrate on the sounds in the Fog around her. A few crows startled her, leaping off branches as she passed and squawking off into the canopy beyond. They were awake like she was, alive and aching in the darkness as they searched for the reason why. Why were they here? Why couldn’t they sleep like everybody else?

Solo liked the night. It hid her flaws, her imperfections, the scars burned onto her flesh, the stabs of knives left behind. She could do the things she would never be allowed to do when the sun was out. She could do whatever she wanted. Even if it meant putting herself in danger just to get her heart racing – exactly something she would fault Piper for doing, funnily enough.

Solo strode through the luminous Fog, using her Pip-Boy to navigate her way past trees that all looked the same, stepping in inky puddles of water that soaked her boots and made her feet freeze. Yes, she reasoned, she was leaving Piper behind, but she wouldn’t be gone long. Not if she didn’t waste time. She may be angry about what she’d done, but she would never leave a friend alone and in danger.

In the dead of night, even the lights from the Trapper cabins had ebbed to a mere inkling in the distance. Solo stopped the moment she saw them, crouching on the edge of the stone cliff and glowering down. She didn’t shoot. Not yet. The wind stung against her face and dried all the moisture from her eyes. But she didn’t blink. She just watched, noting down how many marks she would need to make.

Two trappers outside the first cabin, each smoking a cigar each and chatting. One asleep inside that Solo could see through the window. In the second cabin, only one of them was awake, standing still outside the door with his rifle raised vigilantly towards the forest. Down below, where the third cabin was half-hidden by trees, Solo could only see lights and moving shadows.

She knew instantly what would make this more worthwhile and burn out all the vexation she had left.

She unslung the Gatling laser from around her neck and placed it on the cliff beside her, her bag following it. After digging around in the undergrowth, she found enough leaves to camouflage them so that they wouldn’t be gone when she came back. After a moment’s thought, considering whether she was really stupid enough to do it, Solo removed her pistol from its holster as well and tucked it into her bag.

Impulsivity and carelessness? Maybe she could try them out for a change. There was something about leaving all those Brotherhood rules and values behind that set her heart racing. It was as if she was new to the Commonwealth all over again, entirely defenseless.

Solo was breathing heavily by the time she had managed to climb down the lip of the cliff, crouching beneath it and staring across at the first cabin on her right. It didn’t matter if these people weren’t initially hostile. Solo reckoned she’d attack them anyway. If she could kill her own son, why not some strangers living in the middle of the forest? Who would miss them?

Solo crept towards the bannister of the veranda, peering through the cracks at the two Trappers smoking cigars. They were playing a game of cards – poker, it seemed – and the man on the left was winning, grinning boastfully. Not for long.

Silently, she slid the combat knives from each of her boots and held them tightly in both fists. After a short countdown, she hurdled over the bannister with the blades brandished before her, shocking the men out of their chairs. They shouted, reaching for their guns. In that frozen second between stand off and fighting, she could see their eyes flickering over her. Her face was unreadable, no fear, no invitational smirk. They must have known instantly what she was there to do. They also must have expected it to be two on one, over in a bloody flash so they could go back to their card game. Unfortunately, they were very much mistaken.

Solo pounced before they even had their guns raised, slashing through every bared body part she could see. She disabled one of the men by barreling into him with her shoulder, bashing him violently on the head with the butt of one of the knives. With the other, she simply planted her foot on his chest and sent him crashing through the bannister with a yell. For a very brief second, she thought about following through and killing them both, but for some reason it felt wrong. Immoral.

Grimacing, she instead smashed her boot into the face at her feet, watching the man’s body go limp, and turned away from the shattered bannister. The man inside the cabin was awake now, and it wouldn’t be long before he was filling her with lead.

As if to prove her point, there was a crash and another shout as the cabin door flew back, almost hitting her fully in the face, and Solo felt a sudden gush of pain in her shoulder as a pool cue struck her hard.

Winded, she stumbled back and lashed out with both knives, though the pool cue kept her from reaching the vulnerable parts of her assailant’s body. Again, he swung it at her, and she dodged out of the way – this time, it smashed into her elbow, sending pain blossoming throughout her body. With a gasp, she feinted to the right and then dodged towards him while he was pulling his weapon back for another swing. She kicked his wrist hard and sent the pool cue clattering to the floor. Her knives were locked around his throat in a split second, but this didn’t seem to faze him – he simply drew his fists back and began punching at her, grunting each time he made contact.

Solo let one through her guard and felt pain swell over her left cheekbone, and another hit her square in the mouth – she very quickly jabbed her heel into his instep and caught him by the neck, edging both knives under his chin. The slicing of two blades against his jugular, drawing blood, seemed to subdue him. He stepped back very quickly, eyes wide with a blend of fury and fear.

“That’s right,” Solo panted.

He backed up until he was against the wall, still glowering at her furiously. He opened his mouth –

And Solo struck him hard across the face with her elbow, hearing the crack as his nose broke. She shoved him to the ground, pressing her heel into the small of his back until he was shoved flat against the wooden planks. He mumbled something she couldn’t quite hear, and she pressed harder, ignoring his struggling as he tried to lift himself. The pressure of the floor against his chest would be depleting his capacity to breathe. Solo knew this. A man had died like this under her power. It was… almost intoxicating.

The man’s frantic movements subsided and Solo stepped off of him immediately, knives held loosely by her sides. She stared down at his body, a little surprised at herself. A little while ago, she would hardly have questioned killing a man she thought deserved it. Now, she was second-guessing herself at every turn.

The rattling of bullets broke out to her left and she swore under her breath. She had purposefully not brought a gun to what was turning into a serious fire fight. The shouts she heard in the distance were surely coming from the second and third cabins. There were more Trappers than she had anticipated.

Raising a hand to her face, Solo tenderly touched her cheekbone to check if it was broken. It wasn’t, but it would look pretty ugly the next day. And her lip was bleeding. It took only a second for her to realize in shock that she’d already had enough. She was a mess, and the fight had barely started. She’d been wrong; she was _definitely_ not in the right mind space for combat. Hadn’t the Brotherhood taught her that emotions would end up killing her in the field? Heading into battle just to ward off her frustrations with Piper… it had been more than stupid.

The last thing she wanted was to be shot and killed just for being an idiot.

“Get the bitch!” one of the distant Trappers yelled.

Solo flattened herself against the wall of the cabin, blood pumping in her ears as she found herself caught up in turmoil. Was she really the type of soldier to cut and run when she’d already chosen to fight this battle? Day by day, it seemed she was losing more of the woman she had built over the past months. She had prided herself on her courage and her ability to succeed in battle where no one else could. Now, her thirst to kill was greatly diminished. Her ability to forget about the morals she had lived by as a lawyer was gone. Everything that had made her cold, heartless and ruthless was falling away and leaving her stripped and bare. Seemingly, her reporter friend was to blame.

Swearing again, this time out loud, Solo bent to shove the knives back into her boots and then sprinted for cover. Bullets ricocheted off the wood, sending splinters flying at her, but she had already thrown herself out of sight before one of the Trappers could shoot her directly. She was on the ground now beside the cabin’s veranda, wondering how the hell she would make it up the cliff without dying.

 _Fuck you, Solo_ , she thought to herself angrily. _Fuck you and your stupid hang-ups and your messed-up history and all the things you choose to run away from._

Crouching, she ducked behind a tree to hide in the undergrowth, still fuming. She knew she would have to wait here for a while if she wanted the Trappers to stop looking for her. Only then could she slink away like the sad, spineless creature she was.

She had never hidden before. Not like this.

 _Serves you right_.

 ---

Solo woke up the next morning cold and aching all over. She hadn’t bothered to rebuild the fire in the night as she had been worried the Trappers would be able to use it’s smoke to track her. She had been shivering in her sleep.

Groaning, she pulled herself to her feet and used her water bottle to wash her face, blinking past the groggy haze. It was another morning thick with Fog, the sun barely penetrating through the spindly canopy overhead. For breakfast, Solo ate Sugar Bombs straight from the box, ravenously hungry for some reason, and managed to finish the whole pack before she even realized what she was doing. Frowning to herself, she placed the empty box back in her bag, wondering why she’d been so off the ball lately. She’d been rationing food since she first started fending for herself in the Commonwealth. Never before had she been distracted enough to ignore her own instincts.

It didn’t take long to come up with a simple morse message to send to Piper. Solo didn’t want to sound like there was a heavy conversation coming up; nor did she want Piper to think there was tension between them now and feel uncomfortable meeting up with her. To her surprise, the reporter was extremely quick to reply, mentioning that she could leave the base whenever she wanted to now. It seemed she had the Children’s full trust. This was a ray of sunshine amongst all the darkness – soon enough, they would be leaving the Nucleus behind with DiMA’s memories safe in their possession. They could return to the Commonwealth with Kasumi in tow.

Solo cleaned and polished her knives as she waited for Piper to show up, forcing her face into a blank expression and hoping it wouldn’t change. The last thing she wanted was awkwardness and embarrassment.

As soon as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching, however, she was already stiffening up as if she was anticipating a blow. Piper strode right into the camp without hesitation, and when Solo glanced up at her, she saw a manufactured impassivity that was similar to her own. The reporter was wearing her baggy Children of Atom robes again, a smudge of dust on one cheek, shoulders tilted back in an indication of overt confidence. “Hey, Blu-”

She literally choked on her own words, stopping just a few feet away as she peered more closely at Solo’s face. Fleetingly, the space between her eyebrows creased with worry. “Blue… what the hell happened to you?”

“Ah, nothing.” Solo tenderly touched the bruises on her face, knowing full well that she looked like hell. At least she’d taken the time to clear the blood away. Instantly, she got straight to business. “Look, I wanted to apologize…”

There it was again – Piper looking as if she was struggling to find something to say, eyes widening imperceptibly. Solo wondered if she was the only person who had this effect on her, stealing away her gift with words. She wondered if, likewise, she was the only person Piper had truly managed to change. Was this what being a good person felt like? Being unable to kill? Lacking the thirst for battle?

“I want to be upfront about what happened,” she continued. “Honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking. I was just… I don’t know. Worried about you, I guess.”

Piper was still just staring at her, completely dazed. Distractedly, she mumbled, “Um… yes. Yeah, you – yeah, that makes sense…”

“Okay.” Solo forced herself to keep moving on. “I don’t want things to be weird between us, and I don’t want you to think-”

“I don’t!” Piper said quickly. And then she promptly blushed. “I mean… I get it. I don’t – I’m new to this too, Blue. This whole friends thing, I mean.” Her eyes took on a determined shine. “Whatever happens, I just want to keep on being your friend.”

Solo nodded slowly, eyeing her. “Good. Me too.”

Piper looked like she was about to explode from the need to ask a thousand questions. With an expression like she was in pain, she swallowed them down and forcefully changed the subject: “So, what actually happened, Blue? You okay?”

She stepped closer, as if she were willing to play doctor, but Solo warily leaned back to put some distance between them. “You should see the other guy.” She paused with a derisive snort. “Well… guy _s_.”

Piper looked at her worriedly. “Who…?”

“Trappers. I didn’t beat up anyone who didn’t deserve it. Don’t worry.” Solo leisurely stretched her arm out, still healing from that particularly hard strike to her elbow. “How’s your shoulder?”

“Oh, it’s fine.” Piper shrugged as if to prove it, and then beamed. “Just another scar to add to the pile, huh?”

“I guess so.”

A short, tense silence stretched out between them. Solo coughed to hide how awkward she felt and put her knives down. Not being asked a dozen questions about what the kiss had meant was a novelty – wasn’t Piper inherently curious? Did she seriously have _nothing_ to ask about it? Somehow, she hardly seemed bothered enough, and Solo wasn’t sure why this made her feel even more frustrated.

“So… what did Richter say? Was he impressed?”

Piper looked down at her feet, suddenly downcast. “Impressed? You could say that.”

Picking up on the more serious tone in her voice, Solo stood up. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s _wrong_ exactly,” Piper clarified. “I just… I don’t like that they only trust me after they believe I’ve killed somebody. Somebody who was pretty much innocent.”

Of course. That was Piper, all right. Second guessing an extremely successful mission just because it had resulted in something immoral. While Solo had tried her best not to think about it, that was something Nate would have done, too. Bleeding heart and all.

“Look on the bright side.” Solo smirked. “Didn’t you get paid?”

Piper apparently didn’t find her positivity very amusing. “Sure. Because I wouldn't want to be an _underpaid_ assassin,” she muttered.

Solo shrugged. “Fine. Though I wouldn’t have minded a little thank you for taking out their… trash.”

“Blue!”

“I’m kidding.” Solo knew her type of humor had never been very funny. It was why she’d feigned to have no sense of it in the first place. But now, she couldn’t really find it in her to care whether she offended Piper or not.

“So, I guess we should get down to business,” she said after a second, trying to avoid another awkward silence.

Piper sat down, crossing her legs, and procured her notebook and pen out from her robes. She looked very pointedly at the ground across from her. When Solo hesitated, she said, “You always pace. It’s distracting.”

Deciding not to argue, Solo sat down across from her and stretched her legs out. Piper stared at her for a little longer than she’d expected her to, hazel-green eyes flitting over her face. And then she cleared her throat and looked down at her robes instead, fiddling with one of the loose strands of fabric with the tip of her pen.

“So, this won’t be easy,” Piper began. “If anybody gets a good enough look at you, we’ll both either be out on our asses or dead.”

Solo shrugged. “We’ll do it tonight, then. I’ve watched the guards long enough to know when they change. Most of them look dead on their feet anyway. If I’m wearing the robes and I look the part, they won’t bat an eye.”

Piper frowned. “…Yeah,” she said finally. “I guess that would work. Tactics are overrated, anyway.”

“It’s all tactics, Pipes,” Solo pointed out. “If we’re quiet enough, the Children will never even know I was there.”

“Sure.” Unexpectedly, Piper leaned forward and caught a lock of Solo’s hair between her fingertips. She released it almost immediately, the bright white strands brushing past her thumb and forefinger, but Solo couldn’t help staring at her in surprise as she sat back again.

Avoiding Solo’s gaze, Piper said, “We’ll need to do something about that hair. You’ll stand out like a beacon in there.”

“I’ll wear my cap.”

Piper was unconvinced. “Never seen a Child of Atom who’s fond of headgear, but… I guess, if we’re aiming not to be seen…”

“It’ll be fine,” Solo reassured her. “Also, I think I’ll be less likely to be seen if I go in alone, if I meet you somewhere inside. So I’ll need you to draw me some sort of map and give it to me along with the clothes.”

Raising her eyebrows, Piper flipped open her notebook and stared down at the page as she considered this. “Can do.”

“And you’ll need to choose a meeting place. Maybe stay near the Command Center entrance to make sure it’s not being watched too closely.”

“Uh huh.” Piper absent-mindedly scratched the tip of her nose with her pen and then began writing something in a tight, stylized font with the notebook leaned against her knee. Solo watched her hand move quickly across the page and then glanced up at her face, examining the way her dark eyebrows drew together in concentration. And the way she worried at her bottom lip. Though her lips were pretty, it was the memory of the feel of them that made Solo feel dazed all of a sudden. If the eyes were the gateway to the soul, the lips were the same thing for the body. And Solo was inclined to wonder what was behind them; behind the genuine way she smiled and the precious dimple that appeared at the corner of her mouth every time she did so.

Solo’s stomach turned over as her mind raced to places she didn't know it could go – and then, catching herself, she quickly tried for a distraction.

“Do you think it’ll seem suspicious if you leave the Nucleus more than once today?” Solo asked lightly.

“Maybe.” Piper didn’t lift her eyes from the paper. “But Richter believes I’m as devoted to Atom as anybody else. I can come and go as I please.”

“That’s good.”

Piper finally glanced up at her, pausing as she perhaps saw something in Solo’s face that she hadn’t expected. Her eyes met Solo’s timidly, but she moved on anyway, flipping to a new page in her notebook. “I’ll draw the map now. I memorized everything. Is there… anything else you need me to do?”

“No.” Solo leaned towards her knives and picked them up in one hand, desperately needing something to distract herself with. Jokingly, she muttered, “Guess I should’ve brought my Hackers 101 guide along with me, huh?”

Piper smiled at her amusedly. “That one worth reading?”

“Sure, if you have the time,” Solo said, keeping her sarcasm light.

“Huh.” Piper shook her head.

“What?”

“I just… never pegged you as a reader, I guess.”

“Right. Because I _didn’t_ study to do law,” Solo retorted. “Do you have any idea how many books I had to read just to get my degree?”

“Hey, I’m not judging you. The literate keep me fed.” Piper returned to her map, drawing careful lines and shapes across the page. Again, Solo found herself watching her, this time taking in her rather disheveled appearance. Those robes wouldn’t look great on anyone, but Piper could at least pull them off better than the Children of Atom could.

Solo’s mind was starting to slip away again.

“I-”

“Here.” Piper abruptly ripped the sheet from her notebook and held it out with an unwavering gaze.

“Uh, nice artwork,” Solo remarked, snatching the page from her and looking it over.

“I’d say my style’s pretty abstract,” Piper quipped, feigning self-confidence.

“Oh yeah?” Solo looked at the map closer, squinting at one of the shapes. “Is that… a spaceship?”

Piper looked a little annoyed. “It’s the submarine, Blue.”

“I see.” Solo grinned. She tilted the map, squinting even further and holding it far away from her face. “It really is rather abstract, isn’t it?”

Piper’s mouth twitched, and Solo was pretty sure she was fighting a smile. The corners of her mouth lifted up into a beam as well, and it hurt because of the cut on her swelling lip, but she didn’t care. She wanted Piper to smile, because it was like for a split second everything stopped and her smile pierced through all the bad in Solo’s life and all was well again.

“I’ll be back in an hour, maybe,” Piper said suddenly. “I’ll just get everything you need.”

And then she started climbing to her feet and Solo’s smile died instantly, like a candle that had been snuffed out. She stayed sitting down, because she was too unsure of herself in that moment to know what logically to do. Piper gazed down at her with a hint of confusion. Apprehension flashed through her eyes, and she took a deep breath. “Blue-”

“I’ll be here,” Solo said quickly, worried at what might come out of the other woman’s mouth. “Just… drop the things off when you’re ready.”

Piper pressed her lips together and looked away, nodding. “Sure.”

“Things will work out tonight,” Solo added.

“I’m… yeah, they will, I’m sure.” Piper bit her lip again. Her eyes darted back to Solo for a split second, and then she tucked her notebook and pen back under her robes and flashed a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “See ya, Blue.”

Solo watched her walk off, eyes locked on the back of her head as she passed through the trees and began climbing back over the hill. She was walking very fast. Just about as fast as she’d walked back to the Nucleus last night. It really was saying something that she’d rather be there than anywhere near Solo.

Things were definitely _not_ okay between them. Their conversation may have gotten them through a lot of the awkwardness, but that kiss had damaged more than just their ability to work with one another. Solo wasn’t sure when she’d last been this distracted. Suddenly it felt like there were a thousand things left unsaid and they were both struggling through a minefield of subjects better left alone. She felt worse for Piper than she did for herself, though. What happened last night must have come out of absolutely nowhere.

_Why did she kiss me back, then?_

Solo contemplated this question for a little while longer than was necessary, still staring in the direction Piper had gone. Piper could be awkward when she was uncertain, but she didn’t seem like the type of woman who’d want to lead someone on. She was… straightforward. If there had been something wrong with the kiss, she would have stopped it. Right?

Solo grabbed the flannel off her bag and began polishing her knives again. She needed a better handle on her emotions. She needed a better handle on _everything_. If she was going to break into a high-security submarine base command center tonight, she needed to have her head on straight. Very straight.

 _Not that I’m feeling very straight right now_ , Solo thought amusedly.

At least she had the rest of the day to work on that.


	19. Data Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come: with their plan in order, Piper and Solo head into the depths of the submarine base in search of DiMA's memories, with no idea of what to expect.

Piper smiled tightly at Sister Mai as she passed her little stall, inwardly cursing the fact that she hadn’t gone to bed yet. She was just one more person who was likely to be suspicious if she saw Solo strolling in. Most of the Children had retired to their sleeping quarters in the scaffolding or the submarine, and many of them even now were still chatting or getting ready for bed. Piper knew it would take at least half an hour for them all to get to sleep; she was used to listening to them every night while she clutched the radio transmitter to her chest, unable to drift off herself.

Piper climbed onto her mattress and leaned her head against the wall, smiling wanly as another Child passed her room. If she didn’t play the part, they’d be suspicious and start asking too many questions. All Piper wanted was to get those memories and leave the submarine base for good. That was _all_. If anyone ruined the mission, she didn’t know what she’d do to them, as high-strung as she was.

There was a faint beeping sound, and Piper instinctively reached hurriedly for the radio transmitter, bringing it towards her face to listen.

**CLEAR?**

Sighing, Piper began pressing back her reply:

**NO**

There were no further messages from Solo, and Piper could imagine her sitting just on top of the rise, watching the entrance of the submarine base through the trees. Unlike Piper, she seemed to have endless reserves of patience. It was certainly something Piper envied. She supposed she also envied Solo’s ability to forget about her personal struggles and turn everything into business. Even now, Piper was besieged with the residue awkwardness and uncertainty from the night before.

Piper had never been afraid of her own emotions; she’d never really had trouble confronting her own fears, her angers, or her failings. But something about Solo had opened up a different can of worms entirely. And she _tried_ not to think about it – she really did – but everything was so different now. How she viewed Solo was so different now. Her partner wasn’t just a brooding Brotherhood soldier anymore. She was tall, willowy, and had a face cut right from the pages of a men's magazine. She was also somebody that Piper had found she could trust above almost anyone else she knew. Who the hell wouldn’t have kissed back a woman like that?

That’s what Piper tried to tell herself, anyway. She’d also reprimanded herself plenty for forgetting the reason she’d never gotten involved with someone before. She’d had a few hook-ups, for sure, but the paper and Nat had always been her priorities. Nothing before Solo had ever made her question that. Maybe it was because her priorities were so far away from her at this point, or maybe someone like Solo had been bound to come along at some point and ruin her resolve. Maybe it could also be because Solo was a woman, and Piper wasn’t used to such advances. Or because she’d expected, since Solo looked like a man’s dream, that she’d only be interested in men.

Piper groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead. She was truly tired of all the wondering, trying to figure out why the kiss had happened, trying to make sense of her own reaction to it. Maybe Solo was right, and it was better to move on so there was no more awkwardness between them. _God_ had that kiss been a mistake.

More beeping came through the radio transmitter, repeating the same phrase as before:

**CLEAR?**

Piper sighed. Maybe Solo wasn’t that patient after all.

 ---

Piper hung around the base of the steps that led up to the command center, watching the doorway above and trying to ascertain whether the guard had gone to bed yet. She couldn’t be entirely sure. Her hand was resting on the grip of her laser pistol, squeezing it nervously, her mind wandering to what might be up there. What defense was so dangerous that none of the other Children had managed to get past it? Every few days, one of the Children went in there, and either they came back fatally wounded or they didn’t return at all. Was that the fate that awaited she and Solo?

A hand grabbed Piper’s elbow, nearly startling her out of her skin, and she whipped around to glare at her accoster.

“Jesus, Blue!”

Solo let go of her, backing away a little. “Sorry.”

Containing herself, Piper muttered, “It’s fine. I’m just a little jumpy.”

Wearing those robes, with the bruises on her face covered by a thin layer of radioactive dust, her hair tucked away inside her knit cap, Solo actually looked more like one of the Children than Piper did. She grinned at Piper’s surprised expression. “Atom be with you, Sister.”

“Nice.” Piper resettled her robes. “Should we go, then?”

“Lead the way, Sister.”

Evidently, Solo was having fun playing the part of a lunatic, and Piper wasn’t sure it was fair to tell her to stop. It was pretty lucky she had gotten inside and found her way to Piper without being caught and tossed into the radioactive pit below the submarine. Somehow, she was even more resourceful than Piper had first thought. She deserved a little playtime.

Piper started up the stairs, careful to walk quietly on the metal so her feet wouldn’t clang against it and wake everybody up. She was halfway to the top when she saw the shape hanging just in the doorway, and faltered just enough that Solo crashed into her from behind. The woman grabbed her robes to steady herself, a little annoyed, and then stepped back. “What is it?”

“The guard’s still there,” Piper mumbled.

Solo frowned. “So? You’re a good liar, right? Get us in there.”

“Your capacity for intrigue never ceases to impress, Blue.”

Solo’s hand pressing firmly into her back was enough to get her moving again, and Piper continued up the steps with much more confidence in her stride, hoping the guard would think she was there for a valid reason. As they approached, she could see it was a woman – one of the zealots she sometimes saw hanging around the entrance. Like most of the nighttime guards, she looked half-asleep, and stared at Piper and Solo with glazed-over eyes.

“Sister,” she greeted blandly.

“Hey,” Piper replied, a little awkwardly. “We were just-”

“Caution, Sister,” the woman interrupted. “Last Child who tried to claim the secrets within roused the guardians of the base. So unless you’ve been tasked by the High Confessor, I’d steer clear of the Command Center.”

Piper only fleetingly exchanged a glance with Solo. “Don’t fear, Sister,” she said, with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. “Atom will shield me.”

One of the woman’s eyebrows rose. “I expect our fallen brethren thought the same. But if you wish to put your fate in Atom’s hands, I will not stop you. May He watch over you.”

“Thank you, Sister,” Piper said, bowing her head. And then she grabbed Solo’s sleeve, dragging her through the doorway. Once they were inside and had shut the door behind them, Solo turned in the near-darkness to deliver Piper an impressed smile.

“You’re pretty good at this spy stuff, aren’t you?”

“Am I?”

“Surprised the Railroad didn’t want to recruit you.”

Piper shrugged. “Good thing they didn’t, huh?”

She instantly regretted her words, glancing worriedly at Solo, but the other woman had already stiffened up and turned away.

Well… it was true, wasn’t it? If she had been recruited as a Railroad agent, she’d have been murdered by Solo and her Brotherhood comrades. Still, Piper had vowed never to make Solo feel bad about the things she’d done. As disappointing and depressing as most of her past was, Piper was aware that Solo wasn’t a monster. And she knew that Solo was constantly struggling under the burden of regret she carried around on her shoulders.

 _I shouldn’t have said that_.

Piper frowned to herself as she watched Solo stalk on ahead. Perhaps she _was_ feeling a little bit bitter after Solo’s easy dismissal of their kiss. It seemed, despite everything, that Piper was actually harboring a serious crush on her friend. Inside her head, red lights were flashing and alarm bells were ringing.

Huffing, she followed after Solo, bringing her pistol into her hands as they walked down the dark hallway. Actually… those alarm bells weren’t in her head. They were in real life. She heard them getting louder and louder, and as they approached what must be the first wave of defense, Piper realized that the last person who came in here must have set them off.

“Well, shit,” Piper said, catching sight of the lasers criss-crossing the tunnel ahead. “How’re we meant to-”

“Wait.” Solo stopped suddenly, gesturing for Piper to do the same. Her intelligent grey eyes swept over the scene, only darting once to the dead body lying in the middle of the maze of tripwires. Taking a step back, she muttered, “Stay here.”

“Okay…” Piper watched as she walked back the way they came, her Pip-Boy’s light sweeping over the walls. She was in full soldier mode now, and Piper found it rather distracting.

“There’s no other way in,” Solo said finally, returning to her side. “We’ll have to get through that without triggering the turrets.”

Piper drew in a surprised breath as she glanced up, catching sight of what looked to be dozens of machinegun turrets attached to the ceiling. If they touched a single laser, they’d be riddled with bullet holes before they could take a step in the opposite direction. Very slowly, Piper backed away from the laser maze. “I’d like to say I’m not clumsy,” she said. “But I can’t.”

Solo looked at her, grimacing. “Maybe there’s a way to disable it on the other side?”

Piper normally liked to prove she could do anything, but in this case she’d much rather not die than maintain her pride. “Maybe…”

Solo took off her bag and dropped it beside Piper, rolling her shoulders. “If there’s no way to disable it, I’ll come back and we’ll go together,” she said.

“If there’s no way to disable it, I’ll end up killing us both,” Piper muttered. “Maybe it’s better I stay here.”

“ _Confidence_ , Pipes.” Solo shot her a pointed look.

And then, waiting for the lasers to shift, she stepped past the first couple of red lines into the corridor. Piper watched with baited breath, eyes wide as she followed Solo’s smooth twisting and dodging of the lasers, traveling at a steady pace to the other side of the maze. Piper would _not_ be able to do that. She’d never been very graceful.

Solo ducked the last few lasers and then turned to grin across the corridor at Piper, shooting her a thumbs-up. “Easy!” she called.

“Yeah, right,” Piper grumbled.

Solo disappeared from view momentarily and Piper waited for all the tripwires to shut off. Instead, the woman returned with a grim expression.

“There’s no switch or terminal anywhere,” she said.

“Well, shit,” Piper muttered. “What now?”

Solo thought for a moment. “There’s a toolkit in the front pocket of my bag. Slide it across the floor to me.”

“Blue-”

“Just do it. I’ll have to disarm the lasers one by one.”

Piper was a little skeptical. Did Solo know how to do that? Was there anything she _couldn’t_ do? She dug around in the front pocket of Solo’s bag, pulling out the toolkit and crouching as she eyed the small space beneath the network of lasers. Would she be able to push it far enough?

“Come _on_ ,” Solo snapped impatiently.

Piper pulled her arm back, grimacing, and then slid the toolkit with all her strength towards Solo. It darted very quickly towards the other side of the corridor and the woman stopped it with her foot, flashing Piper a smile. “Thanks.”

Straightening up, Piper watched doubtfully as Solo crouched before the first pair of lasers and set to work. She began pulling pieces of metal off, finally jamming her screwdriver into the circuit board. With a loud beep, it shut off, sparking slightly. Piper couldn’t help but let out a cheer, drawing a grin from her friend as she moved onto the next tripwire. She began disarming them one by one, working quickly and efficiently, but after ten minutes she was still only barely halfway across the corridor. It seemed this would be a long night.

When Solo disabled the final tripwire and then straightened in front of Piper, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead, Piper couldn’t help but rush forward and give her a grateful hug. She pulled away just as quickly, remembering that things were still not right between them, and saw a flash of doubt in Solo’s expression before she turned and picked up her bag. “Come on.”

They walked down the corridor together and passed into a tunnel, this one slightly better lit with fluorescent lighting. Already, they had come further than any of the other Children. They would get DiMA’s memories, and they would escape before anyone knew what had happened. Piper could taste the victory on the tip of her tongue.

Solo had her bag back on her shoulders now, her toolkit safely zipped inside, and she led the way through the rocky tunnel with her gun aloft. With her own gun held tightly in one hand, Piper followed her, flinching at literally any foreign sound that echoed towards them.

“This place definitely looks like it was built after the war,” Solo mused. “They didn’t even bother to finish building any of these tunnels.”

“Maybe they didn’t care about the aesthetic.”

“Maybe.” Solo shrugged. “Doesn’t seem very military, though.”

Piper eyed the pipes jutting out of the ceiling, crates of tools and metal pieces pushed against the walls. It definitely didn’t look like any of the military installments she’d been in. The wooden beams maintaining the tunnel’s shape looked more like they belonged in a mine than the command center for a submarine base.

“ _Please stand clear. This is now a free fire zone_.”

Before Piper or Solo had much time to react to the mechanized voice, a volley of lasers pierced the rock beside them, sending them stumbling backwards in surprise. Solo was returning fire almost immediately, but Piper had to regain her bearings before she began releasing controlled bursts with her laser pistol at the protectron which had appeared up ahead of them. It began sparking, holes punching through its glass visor, but it continued approaching and shooting anyway.

Solo finally found a stance which suited her, kneeled with her shoulder pressed to the wall, and she let loose a string of bullets which punctured its control system directly – there was a bright spark and a bang, and the protectron collapsed like a puppet. She stood up immediately and jogged over to check it was out of commission.

“Second wave of defense?” Piper reckoned.

Solo muttered, “I don’t think it’s over.”

They continued as if nothing had happened, reaching a small room with two doors branching off in different directions. After checking the first one, they realized it just housed an old mess hall and kitchen. Another protectron which had been standing behind the door surprised them, but Solo silenced it much faster than the first, moving so quickly that she was a blur. Soon enough, it too was just a pile of unmoving scraps on the floor and she was coldly reloading her gun, glaring down at it. They moved on.

The second door led to another rocky-walled room containing a set of stairs. Solo and Piper followed them upwards, entering yet another tunnel, and came to a branch almost immediately. Solo paused to check a few of the containers, coming up with a few surprise boxes of ammunition. While she was putting them in her bag, Piper tried to determine what the clicking sound she heard up ahead was.

“Blue, do you hear that?”

Solo stopped moving. “Hear what?”

Piper took a step and peered around the corner. She saw nothing. “There’s this clicking-”

She jumped back, cutting herself off as she saw the shadow of a tall, robotic shape on the wall. As she stepped towards Solo, the woman brought up her pistol, seeing the worry in her eyes. “What is it?”

“Assaultron,” Piper said simply.

“Shit.” Solo reached into her bag, digging around until she came up with a pulse grenade. “Stand back.”

Piper got behind her as she leaned around the tunnel wall and pulled the pin from the grenade. With a deep breath, she levered her arm back and threw it with all her might towards the assaultron.

“ _Surprise contact! Engaging!_ ”

Solo grabbed Piper’s arm as they both stumbled backwards, hardly a second ticking by before there was a gigantic _BANG!_ and dust, heat and smoke billowed throughout the tunnel. Piper coughed, one hand braced over her head as she peered through it, trying to listen for the assaultron past the ringing of her ears.

“You okay?” Solo asked her.

“Fine. You?”

“I’m good.”

Together, they straightened up and blinked through the haze, both smiling in satisfaction as they saw the sparking body on the floor, pieces of metal strewn everywhere. “Nice throw, Blue,” Piper remarked.

“Thanks.”

They stepped over it, guns rising to chest level again as they peered expectantly down the tunnel. The explosion had destroyed the electrical system, and all the fluorescent lighting had gone out. Solo lit up her Pip-Boy again, face grim. “We’re probably close,” she said.

Their walk this time was uninterrupted, even though they had expected more protectrons down the line. Instead, they wound up in a dark room that looked like a half-built office. Through the gated wall to the right, Piper could see a whole room full of terminals. That was where DiMA’s memories were hidden – it had to be.

Solo holstered her weapon, walking over to the terminal that had the security gate locked. “Final line of defense,” she said.

“Think you can get it?”

“Yeah.” Solo powered up the terminal and began typing, Piper watching curiously over her shoulder. She flicked through different password combinations without a single pause of indecision, mumbling keywords under her breath. Finally, she paused, eyes following the twin columns of symbols and letters. With a flourish, she pressed enter, and the system whirred as it logged in, Solo shooting Piper a smug glance.

“How do you even do that?” Piper inquired, slightly frustrated. “I can hardly get mine to save.”

“It’s a gamble.”

“You’re saying it’s luck?”

“Something like that.” Solo unlocked the security gates and then walked around Piper to open them. She made a show of stepping back and waving for Piper to head through first. “Madame?”

Piper delivered her an amused smile before she walked into the control room before Solo. “I guess chivalry isn’t dead,” she remarked.

Once inside, she eyed the computers, realizing there was something wrong. “Uh… how’re we gonna retrieve DiMA’s memories if there’s no power?”

Solo seemed to have come to exactly the same conclusion. “I’m sure there’s some way to…”

She disappeared behind the rows of machines, voice trailing off. Piper frowned and crossed her arms as she watched Solo’s head moving among the banks of computers. There was a loud cracking sound as a switch was pulled, and the lights suddenly flickered on all around them. Piper grinned up in surprise. “How did you do that?”

“Circuit breaker!” Solo replied cheerfully. “There’s always-”

“ _Running close quarters subroutine_.”

The heavy metal weight of an assaultron barreled into Piper so hard that she went flying into the wall, hitting it with rib-cracking force. Her vision blurred as she suddenly lost the ability to draw air into her lungs, blood pounding in her ears.

She scrabbled desperately for her gun as the assaultron picked at her robes and slammed her against the wall again. It had all happened so fast that she hardly had the time to protect herself.

Even when the gun was in her hand, the bullets could do nothing to the assaultron at close quarters. Its laser beam began powering up almost immediately, both of its claws pressing her hard against the wall, trapping her beneath that red-hot gaze. And then, to her impossible luck, her foot hooked into one of the joints in its legs, and she kicked it so hard that her toes hurt and she felt the wires inside it break. The assaultron shifted suddenly to the side, grip loosening, and Piper shoved it hard with both hands so it would release her.

She fell to the floor, crawling out of the way as the assaultron tried to follow her on one working leg. Solo appeared out of nowhere like a guardian angel, stepping in front of Piper and shooting the assaultron full in the face. It continued speaking in its monotone voice, but the laser beam had been destroyed. Now more or less blind, it began swinging wildly in their direction, batting Solo hard in the shoulder and sending her stumbling aside. Now she had some distance, Piper began shooting at the assaultron with more precision, still pushing herself backwards on her hands and knees.

Solo joined in, flanking the robot, shooting at any weak spots through the armor. Finally, one of their bullets managed to hit its mark, and the robot froze, spasming wildly. Piper threw an arm over her head, anticipating the explosion before it happened. She’d been close enough that she actually felt the heat singeing her clothes and her skin as it passed over her. She rolled, grabbing a chair, and gasped for breath as the smoke cleared, searching frantically for a vision of Solo. Her friend had hardly faltered, having thrown herself behind the computers to protect herself; Piper sighed in relief when she saw her pop her head up and look around.

“That was one angry metal lady,” Piper declared, coughing through the smoke.

Solo jogged over immediately to help her stand, the worry plain on her face. It looked as if all the colour had bled from her skin – she was as pale as a sheet. “Pipes…”

“I’m fine.” Piper’s ribs didn’t feel so fine, though. She winced as she pressed a hand to her chest, wondering if any of them were broken. “You have more stimpacks, don’t you?”

Solo hurriedly dug through her bag to find one, gently taking Piper’s shoulder in one hand so she could inject it, looking remorseful.

“What’s with the long face?” Piper scoffed. “I haven’t _died_.”

“As usual, you almost did.” Solo almost sounded like she was chiding her, but Piper could tell from her expression that she was chiding herself. Not that either of them could be blamed for not seeing that coming. The assaultron had appeared out of nowhere.

“I’m fine,” Piper reassured her. “I’m pretty resilient, Blue.”

“Yeah, like a goddamn radroach.”

“Gee, thanks,” Piper derided.

Solo paused, looking at her worriedly. Something in her eyes made Piper realize she was about to hit her with a doze of grim reality. Now was so _not_ the time for that.

“Look, I just-”

“Blue, we’re here to do something, aren’t we?” Piper shifted away, feeling she was able to stand on her own two feet now. She moved on quickly as she saw Solo try to speak again, nodding towards the computers. “Let’s just get those memories and get out of here.”

“…Right.” Solo cleared her throat. “That’s what we want.”

There was a short moment of silence, and then Solo left her side and headed towards the control terminal, sitting down in the swivel chair. Piper followed, limping a little as she remembered what she’d done to her toes. Hopefully, the stimpack would ensure they weren't broken.

“What _is_ that?” she asked, examining the contraption hanging just over the terminal.

Solo glanced up at it. “I’m guessing it’s similar to what they use in memory loungers. DiMA said I’d have to mentally enter the system to get his memories.”

“Is it… safe?”

“No idea.” Solo began logging onto the terminal, pulling Faraday’s holotape out of her bag simultaneously. It was finally time to get what they had come here for. As Solo booted in Faraday’s program, several options came up onscreen, along with the notification, “ _Ice Breaker Program Loaded…_ ”

Solo frowned at them before clicking the first one, glancing up in surprise as the contraption began lowering towards her, surrounding her head. Piper instinctively stepped forward, but Solo gestured for her to stay back. “It’s fine. Let me do this.”

The screen changed very suddenly, filling with code, and Solo’s whole body stiffened as the contraption on her head began to glow with blue light. Piper watched as her fingers suddenly tightened around the keyboard, an exhale shaken out of her. Hesitantly, Piper said, “Blue? Can you hear me?”

Solo didn’t sound in pain – more like she was amused. “I can hear you.”

“What do you see?”

“I understand why this is called the Ice Breaker Program,” Solo remarked. “It’s all blue. I feel like I’m in one of those old arcade games.”

“Cool.” Piper leaned forward, peering at the lines of code on the screen. “What do you have to do?”

“I’m not sure-”

“ _If you’re listening to this, then you made it inside my memory banks,_ ” came DiMA’s voice form the terminal’s speakers, making Piper lean back in surprise. “ _Take a moment. I know it’s a lot at once. The architecture you’re seeing is data; my data. When I’m plugged into the chair, this is what I see._ ”

Solo was nodding and moving her head as if she was looking around. Watching her, Piper leaned against the computer banks and listened as well.

“ _You’re using an earlier version of my technology. A brain wave scanner instead of a direct neural wire. Look around – do you see that yellow column in the distance?_ ”

Solo nodded, but hesitantly.

“ _That’s long-term memory storage. That’s your goal. But you can’t just retrieve that data yourself. One of the programs loaded in the holotape is called the Indexer. They’re represented by the friendly green sprites running around. Do you see them?_ ”

There was a small smile on Solo’s face as she nodded again.

“ _The Indexers have one purpose: to get the data in the yellow column and bring it back to the memory access point. You need to help them get there and back safely. Once they’ve recovered all the data in the memory, the program will translate it into something you can understand_.” There was a long pause, and Solo began pressing a few of the keys, looking confused.

To Piper, she muttered, “This really is like a game – I’m moving forward now.”

“ _First things first_ ,” DiMA’s voice said, returning. “ _The blue blocks you’re standing on are called code blocks. Some of them can be repurposed. Use them to fill in any gaps along the path for your Indexers to cross._ ”

Solo pressed a multitude of keys, finally stopping when it seemed her job was done.

“ _Good. Now you have to deal with the security systems. That red firewall is blocking you and your Indexers from reaching the data. Do you see that green beam of light? That’s a decoder beam – it can destroy the firewall_.”

Solo pressed a few more buttons and then flinched unexpectedly, making Piper jump a little as well. Worriedly, she asked, “Blue, what’s going on?”

“Something’s shooting at the Indexers,” she replied coolly.

“ _The system has been alerted to your presence_ ,” DiMA explained. “ _Now, things will get trickier. You’ll need to deploy defense constructs against the system’s active countermeasures. The system’s sentries will do everything they can to stop your Indexers from returning to the access point with the data_.”

Piper had absolutely no idea what half of DiMA’s words meant, but Solo had taken on a look of grim determination as she began typing faster. It seemed she knew exactly what she was doing now, and Piper watched her face and her fast-moving hands as she worked on retrieving the data and protecting the software that got it for her. Finally, she pressed enter and leaned back in the chair, stretching out her fingers.

“That’s it,” she said. “I got all the data back.”

DiMA’s voice came online again: “ _Verifying memory file… one hundred percent. We’re done here. We now have an access point into the next memory. Just step into the data stream where the-_ ”

Solo pressed a few keys, and DiMA’s voice was cut off as a whole new line of code began appearing on the computer screen. Piper leaned down to look at it, examining the numbers, letters and symbols and wondering how the hell hacking even worked. As Solo began typing again, working on receiving the new memory file, Piper heard a humming sound in the machine behind her. She turned just in time to see a holotape pop out of a hatch and reached her hand into the little metal bowl to pick it up. This holotape was completely new, all shiny orange and white plastic with no scratches on it. She smiled as she placed it on the desk beside Solo. One down, four to go.

Piper eventually got a little bored of watching Solo hack into DiMA’s memory banks. While Solo continued to break through the software, Piper strolled around the room and peeked at all the monitors, wondering what they were for. She’d never had much experience with technology of this caliber, and she figured she never would now that the Institute was gone, so she wanted to take as much of it in as possible.

Every time a new memory holotape popped out of the machine, Piper would scoop it up and place it on the desk. Worrying that she’d forget which one was which, she dug through another of the desks and found a black marker which she used to label each of them with their code names.

Solo worked resolutely, not stopping once to take a break, and Piper could almost sense her tiring. She wasn’t sure how long it had been exactly, but it had definitely been over an hour. They had a while until morning, but they needed to have left the Nucleus by then. Perhaps that was why Solo was working so fast. Piper considered making her take a break, but she figured it wouldn’t do either of them any good. Besides, there were only two memories left and then they were done.

Piper dragged a chair up and sat beside Solo as she made her way through the final two memories, her jaw set in a tell-tale expression of grit. Finally, she pressed enter for the last time and DiMA’s voice came back online, sounding pleased.

“ _Complete memory received_ ,” he said. “ _You can exit the simulation at any time._ ”

Solo pressed enter again.

“ _Exiting simulation in three, two, one…_ ”

There was a hiss, the blue lights on the headset flashing, and then it began to lift from Solo’s head, leaving her blinking in the sudden brightness of the room. Piper leaned forward to catch her gaze, grinning. “Good job, Blue.”

Solo blinked again, rubbing at her eyes as if she’d just fallen asleep, turning her gaze to the holotapes lined up on the desk. Another one popped out of the hatch just then, and Piper leaned back in her chair to pick it up, already labelling it as the final memory before she placed it on the end of the line. Solo ran her fingertips over them, almost incredulous.

“We’ve got all of them?” Solo asked. “We’re done?”

“Yes.” Piper wanted to hug her again, but she refrained, instead reaching for the first memory. “Whaddya say? Want to listen now or later?”

Solo grabbed the holotape from her hands. “I’m not leaving this place until I’m sure that all we went through was worth it.”

They exchanged a long look, both reminiscing about what had happened over the past week, all for the memories of a synth they didn’t even trust. Everything, just so they’d be able to ensure the island wasn’t in danger. They weren’t even from here – it was none of their business – but Piper didn’t want the Children of Atom to get their hands on these memories. She didn’t want innocent people to die. And she was sure Solo didn’t, either. Both as a Brotherhood soldier and as an ex-lawyer, she had a devotion to helping people; an entitlement to the truth. If there was a war on this island, both Piper and Solo would struggle with the consequences.

“Whatever’s on these… we need to know about it before we go anywhere near DiMA,” Solo said.

Piper nodded in agreement. “And if it’s really bad?”

“I don’t know.”

They both hesitated, and then Solo reached forward to eject Faraday’s holotape from the computer terminal. Determinedly, she booted up the first memory and muttered, “If it’s really bad, that’s all the more reason to hear it.”

The tape whirred as it was processed by the system, and Piper automatically pulled her notebook and pen out of the pocket of her robes, ready to write down anything that seemed important. Solo simply leaned forward, hungry for information.

Whatever was on these memories would determine whether they would go home with Kasumi or stay on the island for longer. Piper wished for the former, but she had a feeling the latter would come true. No matter how much they’d been through already, their adventure was _not_ over.

Solo reached for Piper’s hand, surprising her, and she set her notebook down on the desk so she could link their fingers together, squeezing the other woman’s hand tightly. A little bit of comfort in a moment of stress was all worth it.

A robotic female voice filled the silence: “ _Memory file identification: 0V-9AX0. Converted to audio transcription. Beginning playback_.”


	20. Forbidden Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper and Solo learn the truth about the island through DiMA's memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite a short chapter today! I wasn't entirely sure about it when I was writing it, as it carried out a very different sort of character development for Solo than I'd at first anticipated, but I regret _nothing_. More cute fluffy stuff will be coming up in the next chapter, as well as a possible *cough* confession. Stay tuned!

DiMA’s voice, when it took over on the recording, sounded like it was full of exhaustion and worry: “ _Things are not going well with Far Harbor. Several of my people have been assaulted, spat at, interrogated for no reason... this is getting out of control._ ”

Piper felt Solo’s grip on her hand tighten by several degrees.

“ _But there’s still a chance they can learn to trust us. We just need one of their own on our side_.” A heavy sigh. “ _I can’t let anyone know what I’m about to do. I’ll need to set up the equipment far away from Acadia. It’ll be easier to bury the evidence._ ”

A loud click, and then the female voice returned: “ _Additional location data appended: a makeshift medical facility underneath the Vim! Pop factory. Coordinates downloaded._ ”

The holotape ended suddenly, leaving both Piper and Solo sitting there tensely, coming to terms with what they had just heard. Piper already felt anxiety blooming in her stomach, and when she looked at Solo, she saw the woman had gone pale again. “Blue…”

Solo reached for the next memory, ignoring her, some flash of anger, or frustration, or despair – Piper didn’t know what – lighting up in her eyes. As she inserted the next holotape, Solo let go of Piper’s hand and wrapped her arms around herself instead, expression grim.

“… _2NN8. Converted to audio transcription. Beginning playback_.”

“ _I’m offloading this memory_ ,” DiMA murmured, sounding even more broken than in the previous memory. “ _I cannot bear lying to Confessor Martin and his Children of Atom any longer. Better to just forget. I… I found it. The location of the launch key to fire the nuclear missiles inside the submarine._ ”

Solo’s sudden intake of breath said it all. How could this person speaking be the same synth who had told them so calmly that he and the rest of the synths were completely peaceful? How was it DiMA who, on only the second memory they’d found, had already shown he was capable of terrible things? At least he seemed upset about the discovery.

“ _Professor Martin believes it can bring his people into division; destruction at the hands of an atomic blast. I can’t risk him trying to find the key and use it. His people were the first to… accept me for what I am. The thought of all of them being gone fills me with nothing but pain_.”

“ _Additional location data appended: the Harbor Grand Hotel safe room. Key code 485130._ ”

Piper scribbled the key code down automatically at the top of her page. So far, they had discovered DiMA burying the evidence of what was undoubtedly the replacement of a member of Far Harbor with a synth; and they had Nuclear launch codes which could end up killing everybody in the Nucleus. DiMA’s memories really did contain all the ammunition to start a war between all three factions on the island. This was even worse than Piper had first imagined.

Still completely silent, Solo reached for the third tape and booted it in, her face only growing darker.

DiMA’s memories kept on getting worse. This time, he sounded cold and resolute: “ _I’ve made a contingency plan, in case Far Harbor discovers the truth or gives into their xenophobia despite all my efforts. I’ve isolated the wind turbine power in Far Harbor’s Fog Condensers. A kill switch command will leave them defenseless from the Fog and its creatures._ ”

A muscle in Solo’s jaw jumped, and she very suddenly stood up and pushed her chair back. Piper’s eyes followed her as she began to pace the banks of computers, still listening but obviously very deep in thought.

“ _But now that it’s done, am I really capable of this… this massacre that I’ve engineered? I’m going to remove the command code from my memories. I’ll bury a hard copy if I need to use it, but I can’t keep it close to me. It makes me sick._ ”

Again, the female voice returned: “ _Additional location data appended: coordinates to the kill switch command code and the wind farm maintenance building._ ”

Another click, and the third memory clicked off. Piper’s mind was whirling; was it even worth listening to the final two? Would they be even worse? Here, in this room, they had vital information that could wipe out every faction on the island if they decided to use it themselves. Piper could hear from DiMA’s voice on the recordings that all the things he had discovered had grieved him; but surely they couldn’t trust him now? They couldn’t return the memories to him. They couldn’t give the memories to the Children of Atom. And they also needed to keep them from the people of Far Harbor. What they were holding was literally the future of the feud between everyone on the island.

A sharp look from Solo made Piper hurriedly reach for the fourth memory and insert it into the terminal’s slot. As the holotape booted up, Piper folded her arms and sat back, still watching Solo pace. What was the other woman thinking? Would this bring out the Brotherhood in her, or would she make the sorts of decisions that Piper wanted to make?

“ _Memory file identification: 0Z-7A4K. Beginning playback.._.”

“ _Get away!_ ”

Piper sat forward so suddenly that she got whiplash, shocked to hear Nick Valentine’s voice coming through the speakers. So it was undeniably true then, wasn’t it?

“ _It’s me_ ,” DiMA reassured him. “ _We escaped the Institute together. You’re my brother._ ”

“ _I don’t have a brother!_ ” Valentine spat. There was the sound of crash, as if the detective had thrown something to the ground. “ _The name’s Nick Valentine. And no one in my family tree is a plastic-skinned freak!_ ”

Piper had never heard so much pain and anger in her friend’s voice in all the years she’d known him. And she’d never heard him refer to a synth in that way. This was a man broken to pieces by the Institute, and surprisingly it was DiMA trying to put him back together.

“ _You’re just confused_ ,” DiMA told him pleadingly. “ _Let me help_.”

Valentine let out an anguished shout, and Piper winced at the sounds of a scuffle breaking out, hearing several hits land – she met Solo’s eyes as the woman stopped pacing, seeing similar sympathy in them.

“ _Stay away from me!_ ” Valentine yelled. Again, the fighting continued, the recording beginning to fritz with static. “ _I don’t want to hurt you!_ ”

And then there was a loud cracking noise as DiMA apparently won the fight, the detective abruptly going quiet. Piper’s eyes widened. DiMA was breathing heavily, panting over the recording. In a low voice, he muttered, “ _Goodbye, brother_.”

A click, and then the female voice said: “ _End of playback._ ”

Piper took out the holotape, knowing it was the only memory that would eventually find its way into someone’s hands – Valentine deserved to hear it, to know that on this distant island he had a ‘relative’ of sorts who had tried to take care of him. Nicky needed to know more about his past; he was entitled to it.

“Put in the last one,” Solo ordered, her voice cracking. Piper glanced up at her, a little surprised to hear such sentiment in her voice, but the woman turned away.

Piper did as she’d been told, anticipating what last terrible memory DiMA had left behind here. She was not disappointed.

“ _I’ve discovered a curious record inside the pre-war data files of this submarine base. The marines here were equipped with an advanced model of combat armor. There are several already in the base, in various states of deterioration. But there were more shipments of the armor on their way to the base the day the bombs fell. They could be in prime condition if the sealants have held. I have no use for them, but you never know… they could be worth digging up._ ”

“ _Additional data appended: armor shipments tracking information. Coordinates downloaded_.”

Piper rubbed at her forehead, glad that at least this memory hadn’t been another sort of kill switch to ruin the people of the island. But if either of the factions got their hands on that armor, they’d definitely have an upper hand if there was a battle to come.

Quietly, Piper removed the final holotape and then glanced up at Solo again, watching her pace past the monitors. She’d removed her knit cap, and was running her fingers through her hair in some desperate attempt to distract herself. She looked more frustrated than Piper had ever seen her.

“Blue…” Piper stood, placing her hands on the desk. “You okay?”

Solo stopped pacing very suddenly, glowering over at her. “Am I okay?” she repeated snidely. “What do you think?”

Piper wasn’t sure what to say.

“We came here expecting this, Pipes. The Institute’s got their imprint all over it.”

“But it’s not the Institute, it’s-”

“It’s DiMA, I _know_ ,” Solo seethed. She walked around the banks of computers towards Piper, eyeing the holotapes. Her form exuded an animosity that was like acid – burning, slicing, potent. She was angry and frustrated, and Piper felt it was from more than just the dreadful things they’d heard.

Solo’s eyes narrowed. “I definitely didn’t come here to find myself in the middle of another goddamn war,” she growled.

“I know. Me neither.”

“But we have to deal with this.”

“I know,” Piper said again, watching her worriedly.

Her hands were gripping the back of her chair so tightly that her knuckles were bone-white, and her eyes were that typical solid steely colour that gave away her true frustration. Piper wondered if this was how she’d felt when she’d been stuck in the middle of the war between the Institute and everyone in the Commonwealth, with her son in the crossfire. Had she been this angry all the time? How had she even made it through? No wonder she’d always seemed so odd and subdued those first times Piper had met her.

“Maxson would tell me to protect the people of Far Harbor at all cost,” Solo muttered.

“But-”

“He’d tell me the synths can’t be trusted, and the Children of Atom are lunatics.” Solo raised her eyes to Piper’s face, but she wasn’t really seeing her – her gaze was far away. “I was taught to do my job no matter what, to risk my life for it. Death for victory.”

“Blue-”

Her eyes shifted to the side, and for a moment the anger parted just enough to show deep sadness underneath. Piper’s words caught in her throat, and again she wasn’t sure what to say. Solo was looking at her like the fire in her eyes had been dowsed with ice water, if anything making the grey more pale. Piper wasn’t used to it; it unnerved her. It was like Solo had just crawled right back inside some invisible shell and no matter how hard Piper tried, she was unreachable.

She had no idea what would happen next, only that they could no longer leave the island without doing what was morally right. She didn’t even know what that meant anymore. All she knew was that they had only each other. If Solo wanted to fight and die for the Brotherhood’s values instead of her own, Piper would either need to go against her or remain by her side. A serious choice was to be made.

“You’d seriously want to destroy the Nucleus and Acadia just because the Brotherhood would?” Piper demanded.

“I don’t know.” Solo sighed. “I’m… not the Brotherhood anymore. Ever since I came here with you, I haven’t been the same. I don’t even know if I can go back.”

This pleased Piper, but she was also worried that Solo now felt displaced – she belonged to no faction, no home. Was there any reason for her to do anything right anymore? Were there any alliances she should bother standing for?

“From my experience,” Piper said quietly, “It’s better to fight for what you love rather than die for what you hate.”

Solo glanced at her, almost helplessly. “Everything I loved went down with the Institute.”

Piper stared at her. Of course, she had no idea how it felt to lose absolutely everything like Solo had. She had no idea how it felt to give birth to a son and have him taken from you; how it felt to marry somebody and plan her whole life with them before a devastating war destroyed it all. Piper had never really known how it felt to be truly alone, but Solo certainly had. Maybe they had a few similarities, but their differences separated them by a gulf, and Piper could barely see across to the other side.

“We can find a way to do the right thing,” Piper said feebly. “No one has to die. We can just bury all the holotapes, or destroy them completely…”

“Sure, let’s just run away from it,” Solo disparaged.

“I’m not saying-”

“People already know these memories exist, Piper,” Solo pointed out adamantly. “And whether we get rid of the holotapes or not, there _will_ be a war. And if DiMA really… if he really took someone from Far Harbor and made them into…” She paused, gathering herself, and set her jaw. “We need to confront him. He needs to pay for what he’s done.”

“But we need to think about-”

“I’ve done enough thinking!” Solo snapped. “I’ve had _enough._ ”

Piper heard her voice waver, saw her stepping back from the chair, and was overcome by sudden surprise as she realized that this dilemma had really shaken her, more even than it had shaken Piper.

Solo rubbed at her eyes. “War never changes. That’s what Nate always said to me.”

“Nate… is that your husband?” Piper asked carefully, a little surprised to hear his name.

“Yes. My husband,” Solo affirmed. The words flowed out of her like she had no control over them, spoken with a tone of miserable nostalgia. “Before the bombs fell and he died, I thought he was just being a paranoid soldier. I thought I’d get to spend the rest of my life with him and watch my son grow up. I thought I’d be a lawyer, and I’d get old and die within the comfort of my own home, surrounded by the people I love. I didn’t expect I’d ever have to pick up a gun and make decisions like this. Never thought I’d get to decide who gets to live or die.”

“Would it surprise you if I said I didn’t either?” Piper said quietly.

“No.”

They gazed at each other in silence, both utterly stumped as to what their future on the island entailed. Something had to be done; that, at least, was undeniable.

The holotapes sat glistening on the desk, taunting them. Piper wanted to burn them and destroy the whole command center, but she knew that Solo was right; they needed to deal with everything that was on those holotapes separately. They needed to confront DiMA and have him pay for the crime he had committed against Far Harbor. They needed to find a way to keep the nuclear switch and the kill code a secret so neither side had more power than the other. They needed to tell Nick the truth.

Solo touched her left hand, and Piper watched as she twisted that silver ring around her finger, almost as if to reassure herself it was still there. Was that ring all she had left of her life before? Just a memory of love, of a wedding, of plans that were soiled?

“I don’t know what to do, Pipes.”

That was as close to a confession of helplessness as Solo had ever gotten. And the tone that accompanied it was enough to make Piper realize that something monumental was about to happen. Something she had never expected to be present for.

Brick by brick, Solo’s walls came tumbling down – Piper could see it in her face. She saw the exact moment that Solo fell to pieces, like something snapping inside of her. She refused to look away, even as the woman’s lips trembled and her shoulders heaved with emotion. Her dark lashes brimmed heavy with tears, hands clenched into shaking fists in a desperate battle against the grief.

It was… almost terrifying. Like watching something happen which should be impossible. Piper remembered the feeling deep in her gut as she watched her father’s coffin being lowered into the ground all those years ago. She hadn’t been able to believe that he was actually gone forever. It took a while for the truth to sink in. This – watching Solo break down – gave her a similar epiphany. Solo, like everybody else, was just a human being. There was a vulnerable woman behind the tough Brotherhood soldier. And the emotional aching she suffered from was heartbreaking.

As if she hardly had the power to stand anymore, Solo lowered herself into the swivel chair in front of the desk, breathing heavily like she was having a panic attack. Piper approached her without question. She bent and her hands found Solo’s shoulders, trying to steady her and offer reassurance, but it was no use. The tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down her face, and Solo almost didn’t seem to recognize them. Piper didn’t, either. She’d never ever thought she’d witness Solo break, never thought she’d see a single tear shed. And yet here she was.

Solo sobbed into her chest unceasingly, hands clutching at her robes, and Piper held her in silence, rocking her slowly with her fingers curled in the woman’s hair, just wanting everything to be okay. Wanting _her_ to be okay. Solo cried like there was too much raw pain inside her to be contained. She cried like her spirit needed to break loose from her skin, desperate to release an elemental rage on the world. The soothing words and touches from Piper made no difference at all. Solo was beyond all reason, beyond all natural methods of calming.

Piper held her until the shaking subsided, until Solo was hardly even crying anymore – just clutching her tightly like a lifeline. She stroked her fingers soothingly through the silvery locks of hair, resting her chin on Solo’s head, eyes closed as she tried not to relive her own pain. Was it as powerful as Solo’s? Was it even worth comparing? Eventually, Solo was completely silent, though Piper could at least feel her breathing. It was calming. The contact and the reassurance felt natural, and Piper didn’t want to let go. But when the woman’s hands loosened around her back, Piper was forced to let her pull away to wipe her face and regain her composure.

For the longest time, Solo was completely silent, and Piper wondered if she was broken beyond repair.

And then, hardly flashing a glance her way, Solo straightened up and grabbed her knit cap, sliding it back over her head and tucking her hair inside it. Piper stood up too and watched as she collected all the holotapes and shoved them into her bag, back to business as if she hadn’t just broken down completely. Piper wanted to say something, but she wasn’t sure what. Solo had never been vulnerable before. Was she embarrassed? Had she not wanted to be comforted?

“We should get out of here,” Solo said. Her voice was still thick from all the crying, but her eyes were slightly less red now.

“Yeah,” Piper agreed gently.

They left the computer room, stepping over the assaultron’s sparking corpse, walking through the hallways in silence. Piper was very worried, but she didn’t say so. Instead, she muttered, “I need to get all my things before we leave.”

“Sure.” Solo was curt, her voice emotionless. Maybe that big show of emotion had stolen everything she had left inside of her.

When they re-entered the Nucleus, it was still the middle of the night; there were a few Children awake, but they were busy getting high on the radioactive fumes and praying to Atom. The guard had gone to bed.

None of them paid Solo or Piper any heed as they climbed the stairs to her room and she started packing everything away in her bag. She still wasn’t sure if she’d have to return here, but there was no way she’d leave anything of hers behind. Solo watched her coolly, silent as she buckled it up and slung it on her back. The look on her face made Piper wonder what she thought of the place where Piper had been living for the past week.

When Piper was packed, they walked together down the stairs and along the flank of the submarine, heading for the base’s entrance. For all Piper knew, this was the last time she’d see the Children.

She didn’t think she’d miss them.

Even the guards at the entrance only glanced fleetingly at their robes before turning away, disinterested. Solo led the way out of the compound, walking much faster than she normally did, her long legs carrying her rapidly up the hill. Piper struggled to keep up, worrying more and more as the silence stretched on between them. _I have to say something_ , she thought. _She can’t do this – not after everything that’s just happened_.

Solo walked even faster as they approached the campsite, dropping her bag instantly and kicking away the leaves that had been concealing her Gatling laser and most of her ammunition. She grabbed her lighter and kneeled beside the pile of charred wood, setting to work on lighting the fire. Every movement was sharp and calculated, and she still refused to speak a single word. Were they back to square one?

Piper dawdled behind her with her hands in her pockets, trying to rack up the courage to speak. Just the idea of being shut down made her feel prematurely upset. It had never been this hard to find the words before.

Once the fire was going and the flames were flickering among the dry leaves and sticks, Solo stood up again. She turned, blinking hazily at Piper as if just realizing she was there, and her lips parted like she was finally going to speak. And then she pressed them shut again, and Piper was surprised to see another completely unrecognizable emotion in her eyes, raw and desperate. Solo strode over slowly until she was hardly a foot away, reaching for the straps of Piper’s bag; taking the hint, Piper slid it off and watched as Solo set it gently to the side. She had absolutely no idea what was happening.

Surprising her, Solo reached for her face, hand lightly cupping her cheek. The simple touch sent a wave of butterflies coursing through her veins, their fluttering wings easing the dread that had settled inside her.

“I’m sorry,” Solo said simply.

And then the woman pulled her into a hug, warm and strong enough to melt the world away around her. Piper hooked her arms around Solo’s waist and hugged her back, suddenly understanding her need for silence. All that pain, all that emotion which had flowed out of her, had probably left her feeling like an empty shell. Piper had once cried like that – she should have known what to expect afterwards. She felt only sympathy and affection for Solo, almost flattered that she'd been able to comfort her during a time of rare vulnerability. If anything, the experience had only brought them closer. Piper wouldn't change it for the world.

When Solo pulled back, she said, “Do you know how wonderful you are?”

Piper wondered if there would ever be a time when she would stop blushing about _everything_ Solo said. Her breath caught in her throat, and she glanced down to avoid the other woman’s eyes. “Wonderful, huh? That's a new one.”

Solo’s hand touched her face again, this time tilting her chin up, and Piper finally gave in, returning her gaze. For a split second, Piper wondered whether the other woman would kiss her again. But Solo only smiled and then dropped her hand. “I’m tired,” she said. “We should sleep.”

Piper nodded carefully, disappointed. “Uh… yeah.”

She watched as Solo turned away and began setting up her sleeping bag. Piper tried to ignore how she was feeling, collecting her own bedding as well and placing it beside the fire. She was untying her laces when Solo unexpectedly tugged on her sleeping bag, a slight frown on her face. “Come closer.”

“Why?”

Solo’s silver gaze traveled imploringly over her face, but she only shrugged. “Fine. Whatever you want.”

Piper sighed dramatically as she watched the other woman make a big show of pulling her bomber jacket on over her robes, hat tugged further down over her forehead. Feeling like she was losing some sort of stupid battle, Piper stood and dragged her sleeping bag closer to Solo’s. The grin she got for giving in was at least worth the effort.

“Body heat, I’m guessing,” Piper deadpanned.

“It’s cold, isn’t it?”

Piper took her shoes off and wriggled into her sleeping bag, facing away from the fire. Solo climbed in next to her, having taken her jacket and cap off again. After a few moments, she reached for Piper’s hand, intertwining their fingers. Piper only glanced at her curiously, wondering where this was going. Solo was angled a little towards her, thumb running over the back of her hand in light circles. “Piper…”

“Yes?” she said immediately.

“I’m sorry about all the mushy stuff.”

Piper couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. “Don’t be like that, Blue. Everyone breaks down sometimes.”

“I never have. Not really.” Solo wriggled a little bit closer. “Well… only when I’m alone.”

“You can count on me.” Piper tucked her elbow under her head, missing her pillow back at home.

“I know.” Solo sighs. “Makes me realize how lucky I am to have a friend like you.”

 _Yeah, a friend_ , Piper thought cynically.

“We’re gonna deal with everything,” Piper said. “DiMA’s memories, the conflict between the people on the island, Kasumi’s parents – _everything_.”

“And if we can’t handle it?”

“We will,” Piper told her confidently.

Solo didn’t look so convinced, but she didn’t pursue that line of thought any further. Instead, she smiled a little and continued stroking Piper’s hand. In a little while, this would come to be way too much, but Piper wasn’t sure she wanted to tell Solo to stop touching her. Ever.

In the firelight, the bruise on Solo’s cheekbone and the cut on her lip were softened somehow, made to look less painful than they had earlier. Piper couldn’t help but wonder whether she’d really had that much of an effect on her – had she been the reason Solo had wanted to punch up several Trappers and blow off steam? Did that mean anything at all?

It seemed there were still things for Solo to fight for, even if she couldn’t see it.

“You’re a good person, Blue,” Piper said genuinely. “I mean, thanks to you, most of the Commonwealth gets to live free.” She thought for a long moment. “Even when I first met you, I figured there was going to be something special about you. The Institute was around for a long time before you got here. Not anymore.”

Solo squeezed her hand. “I never wanted to help anyone. I wanted to find my son.”

“You did both,” Piper said firmly. “And we can get two things out of this, too.”

“Like what?”

“We can help the locals, _and_ we can get the resolution we both want.” She smiled. “Isn’t that why you’re here?”

“I’m honestly not sure.” Solo shifted her head, turning so she could stare up at the branches overhead. “Like I said, I didn’t plan for any of this.”

“Then it’s destiny.”

Solo scoffed. “ _You_ believe in destiny?”

“I believe in most things happening for a reason,” Piper said. “You entered the Commonwealth for a reason – you saved us all. Maybe we’re here for a similar reason, even though we didn’t realize it at first.”

“Hmm.” Solo looked down at their intertwined hands. A funny smile came on her face. “You think it was meant to be me and you who ended up here together? Pipes and Blue, the jazz duo?”

“Maybe.” Piper smiled too. “Who'd expect wandering off with a stranger to turn out this well?”

“Ain’t that the truth.”

Again, Solo squeezed her hand, and Piper wondered if it was seriously only her who felt those pleasant chills running up and down her spine just from that one touch. Piper had never been a fan of those crappy love-at-first-sight romance novels, but she figured maybe she was meant to feel this way about Solo after all. Maybe there was something like fate or destiny involved that had brought them together. Maybe that sort of thing really did exist.

“Goodnight, Pipes.” Solo let go of her hand, but she did curl up a little closer as she prepared for sleep. Her knees pressed against Piper’s legs, and her elbow was partly tangled up in Piper’s sleeping bag. It was as if there were no boundaries between them anymore.

Piper curled up as well, watching Solo’s face for a few seconds longer before she closed her eyes too.

“Night, Blue.”


	21. Beating Around the Bush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, homesickness and truth-telling.

Solo woke the next morning feeling as if she was surfacing from a particularly terrible nightmare; her eyes were burning, and her chest was aching. Other than her physical pains, she felt mentally free, empty of stress and worry for the first time in a long time. She also felt like she’d slept long enough to rid herself of all the negativity and depression of the day before.

Stretching, she carefully shifted herself away from Piper, realizing she had literally twisted herself around the other woman during the night. She carefully rolled onto her side and looked at her, smiling at how peaceful the reporter looked. It wasn’t often that she got to just look at Piper without it seeming weird. Sometimes it was nice to stare. Ignoring the impulse to curl up into the curve of her body again and pretend she was still sleeping, Solo turned around and unzipped her sleeping bag.

She got changed while she was collecting more water from the nearby stream. Under her robes, she’d been wearing her armor, but she hadn’t felt very safe with the baggy garment on. Now, she felt unstoppable.

While she was stoking the fire again, feeling fresh, Piper began stirring. She groaned and rolled onto her stomach, and Solo hid an affectionate smile as she sensed the reporter blinking blearily at her.

“Morning.”

Piper mumbled an unintelligible answer and buried her face in her arms again, black hair hiding her face. It was unexpected, but after breaking down in front of Piper the day before, Solo only felt safer with her. She felt like she’d reached an ultimate level of trust – a level she had never reached with any of her friends in the Commonwealth before. It didn’t matter about anything that had happened between them; she just knew that Piper was someone she liked and could depend on. That was all.

“You want breakfast?” Solo asked cheerfully.

“Uh…” Piper peeked up over one elbow, eyeing what she was doing. “Yes. Please.”

As Solo began preparing some powdered eggs over the fire, the smell of cooking food seemed to rouse Piper. She finally sat up, raking a hand through her hair, and climbed wearily out of her sleeping bag. For a few minutes, she disappeared as she went to change back into her travelling clothes and wash her face. When she came back, she sat down beside Solo and took her own share of the eggs, eating like she’d missed several days’ worth of meals. Without really meaning to, Solo reached over and smoothed down the collar of her coat, pulling back when she saw Piper’s wary expression. The reporter flattened it the rest of the way, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Sorry,” Solo said offhandedly. “Brotherhood habit.” She ate another spoonful of eggs, glancing at the glowing sticks in the fire.

“Brotherhood sure knows how to take all the fun out of dressing in rivets and leather,” Piper muttered.

“Looking smart was a lesser evil.”

“Still evil.” Piper set her empty plate down. “Not to mention the uniforms leave something to be desired.”

“Shame you think so,” Solo retorted. “I happen to like the uniforms. They’re why I was honored to join in the first place.”

Piper shot her look of mock-distaste. “Yeah? Is "honored" the word?”

“Sure is.”

Piper shook her head in disbelief, though she was smiling the whole time. Crossing her legs, she leaned back and seemed to revert to business. “So…” she said. “Where to now?”

“I was thinking it’d be a good idea to head back to Far Harbor before we make any big decisions.” Solo finished eating and set her own plate down. “Also… if we really are going to confront DiMA, we need to follow all the leads those memories gave us first. The locations for the kill switch, the evidence he buried – everything.”

“You’ve done a lot of thinking,” Piper mused.

“I woke up feeling pretty fresh.” Solo gestured to her bag. “By the way, we need to find somewhere much safer to put the holotapes.”

“Aren’t they safer with us?”

“Everything’s safer locked away. Believe me.” Solo stretched, hearing her spine crack, and smirked at Piper’s responding grimace. “So, you wanna hit the road?”

“Sure.”

They packed up the camp much faster than they’d set it up, rolling their sleeping bags and putting out the fire. As they set off from the Nucleus, Solo saw the physical loosening of Piper’s shoulders as she left the Children far behind. Solo wished they could both be leaving the whole island behind and heading home. They weren’t so lucky.

It took a while to finally reach a proper asphalt road, and once they did, both of them stopped looking back over their shoulders. The Fog seemed to have abated a little today, and the sun was glaring down at them with enough power to make them sweat. The fact they had so much more ahead of them to do was daunting, but Solo was certain now that they would both succeed in whatever they tried to accomplish. There was the hell of a lot to find out and prevent, but she’d done this before. And Piper’s belief in her was all she needed.

“Hey, do you have a minute to talk about something?” Piper asked suddenly, as they were passing the ruins of an old caravan park. She sounded uncharacteristically nervous, and Solo already knew that this was the conversation they had both been anticipating. It couldn’t be avoided for much longer. And Solo had already come to a decision.

“For you, Piper? _Two_ minutes.” Solo paused, cheerful. “Hell, maybe even two and half.”

Piper looked at her uncertainly, apparently unsure if she was joking or not. “Oh, great. Weird. But great.” She frowned. “This is an odd time to mention it, but I’ve been going over what you said about Nat again and again in my head, and… what you said was right.”

“Uh-huh,” Solo said.

“Family's too precious. What kind of life is she going to have if I never go near her again?”

Solo was glad she was finally beginning to understand what was at stake. Smiling, she said, “Go on.”

“It's just, sometimes, it feels like the only things I've got in life are Nat and the paper,” Piper said. “After what we found out yesterday, with DiMA’s memories and everything, it really occurred to me that I’ve still got loads of things to sort out. When it’s over. _If_ it’s ever over…”

“It will be,” Solo cut in.

“Right.” Piper took a deep breath. “Basically, this is a roundabout way of telling you that having someone I can count on, someone like you, it's meant a lot to me.” She laughed anxiously and fiddled with her gloves. “Not a lot of people want to hang around with the nosy reporter.”

Solo shifted so she could walk a little closer, bumping shoulders with her. “Yeah, but you're my kinda nosy,” she teased.

Piper ducked her head, using the brim of her press cap to hide the flattered expression that was already turning her cheeks faint pink. “Heh. You're the exception. I haven't exactly made a lot of friends in this career.”

“Turns out neither of us are very good at making friends,” Solo remarked. “Guess it _was_ destiny that we found each other, after all.”

“Huh.” Piper arched an eyebrow, looking at her with an all new set of eyes. “Maybe.”

Growing serious, Solo admitted, “I figure I might as well say, after yesterday, that I’m pretty grateful I can count on you, too.”

Piper beamed. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Solo waited patiently for her to say something else, still walking close with their arms brushing every few strides. After a while, she realized that the woman was finished with her confession. Disappointed, she shot her a thinly-disguised glance of frustration. Was that all? She’d wanted to reiterate that Solo was somewhat important to her and… nothing?

“Isn’t there something else?” Solo urged.

“No.” Piper looked at her, edginess in her gaze. She returned, “Why? Is there something _you_ want to say?”

“No,” Solo replied quickly.

They were at a standoff. One thing it seemed they were both absolutely rubbish at was talking about their feelings. Perhaps things between them were hopeless, after all.

And then Piper seemed to come on with a spurt of confidence, because she suddenly hesitated and stopped walking, beckoning for Solo to do the same. They had Fog-filled forest on both sides – not the greatest or safest location for a heartfelt confession, but it would have to do. Solo pivoted to face her, listening expectantly. “So there _is_ something else?” she asked hopefully.

Piper adjusted her press cap, nervous, though there was a determined look in her eye. “Shouldn’t we actually talk about things? I mean… I know we sort of resolved it. But it feels like we’re beating around the bush.”

“What do you mean?”

Piper looked pained. “Blue, please don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Solo continued to stare her down, waiting for more of an opening.

Rolling her eyes, Piper muttered, “The… kiss? Remember that?”

“Oh yeah.” Solo chewed on her lip, hesitating, then said, “I’m sorry if it seemed like I was messing around with you, Pipes. And I’m sorry I played it off like it meant nothing.”

Piper’s eyes were locked suddenly on her face. “Wait. So, you’re saying…?”

“I care about you,” Solo admitted frankly. She faltered before driving up the confidence to add, “More than a good friend probably would.”

The reporter stared at her, still hesitant. “Oh.” She swallowed. “I-I mean, I’d be lying if I said I never thought about you that way…” She quickly backtracked. “Not that I’m _always_ thinking that way…” 

Solo grinned. “How’s that for not beating around the bush, huh?”

Piper looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. “At least we’re both finally being honest,” she said with a small smile.

Sobering up, Solo took a step towards her. “Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen either here or when we go back to the Commonwealth,” she said. “But I know that yesterday reminded me that I could lose things pretty easily. And I didn’t want to lose you before I’d even told you how I feel.”

Piper blushed. “I.... oh. Well, that’s…”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Solo said hurriedly. “In fact, it’s probably better that you don’t.” She half-turned away. “We can get going now, if-”

Piper grabbed her arm, stopping her. Her hazel-green eyes flickered over Solo’s face, not pausing on any feature for too long, as if she was struggling to take her in. She seemed a little confused. “Blue, you know me, right? I’m loud, and pushy, and constantly getting in over my head. Why would someone like you want someone like me?”

“Can’t be that hard to believe.”

“Well, it’s not _easy_ to-” She cut herself off sheepishly and then said, “I’m sorry… I guess I just never saw this coming.”

“Me neither.”

Solo hooked her finger into the belt of Piper’s coat, testing her reaction to it, and felt the woman automatically soften and lean into her. But she stopped just short of kissing her, grinning at Piper’s baffled expression when she pulled away.

“We should probably wait until we get back to Far Harbor,” Solo told her.

“ _Wait_?” Piper repeated blankly. “Oh, sure.”

Before Solo pulled away, however, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss her cheek, pulling away with a bright smile on her face. At Solo’s expression of surprise, she shamefacedly said, “Sorry. I’ll give you more warning next time.”

Solo worked very quickly to contain herself. “No, it’s fine. That was fine.” She shook her head free of the awkwardness, suddenly wanting to return to Far Harbor much faster. “We should go.”

As they started walking again, Piper’s smile didn’t fade, and Solo found herself full of warmth too. Letting out her feelings wasn’t as bad as she’d always told herself it would be. At least for now, she was fine with knowing she was attracted to Piper. There were plenty of reasons why it was justified – after all, Piper was just about the only person Solo would ever want watching her back. The fact she had comforted her back in the command center, had asked no questions, and had expected nothing in return… there was for sure something special about her. Solo wasn’t about to just throw that away.

Attraction? Attraction was a magnet. It was that thought inside Solo’s head that said, ‘There's something about this...’ She gravitated towards this extraordinary thing that had captured her attention, and the more she was exposed to it, the more she learned about it and wanted it. Something about Piper was drawing her like a fly to light.

Their walk consisted mainly of a few easy-going, aimless conversations interrupting the silence, and refraining from grinning each other the whole time. Solo, on her part, was doing whatever she could to see Piper blush again; she would ‘accidentally’ brush up against her, or linger her hand longer than it was necessary. Most of the time she succeeded. There was something very endearing about making the reporter lost for words when she was so good with them. And while she’d ignored it before, it was now _so_ obvious that Piper liked her. More obvious than Nate following her around a shopping mall for an hour when he’d wanted to ask her to go on a date with him. Piper was better at lying on paper than she was in person.

 ---

They arrived at the gates of Far Harbor when Piper’s frustration had reached its peak; she was growing wary of the fleeting touches Solo left on her arms, of that beautiful smile that simply wouldn’t fade away, and even just her own inability to stop staring. Sure, they’d both openly admitted they liked each other, but it felt like something was meant to _happen_ already. Piper at least wanted to kiss her again before they set off on their mission to save the island and literally had no time for anything else.

The coastal town felt like an old home; she breathed in the scents of the sea and the rotting wooden dock, smiling at some of the people she recognized. Most of them were as subdued and busy as always, ignoring Piper and Solo as they headed for The Last Plank. It began to dawn on Piper’s mind that one of these people could be DiMA’s synth spy. Would it be one of these normal citizens, or would it be someone higher up in the chain of command? Allen, or the Mariner, or Captain Avery?

When Solo took Piper’s hand, the thoughts were instantly pushed to the back of her mind, but her feeling of anxiety didn’t leave her as they entered the old bar and approached Mitch at the counter. He beamed when he saw them both together.

“If it isn’t the Mainlanders,” he declared. “What’s up?”

“We need a room,” Solo told him.

He reached under the counter and handed them their usual key, still smiling, and then winked at Piper. “You’ll come down later, won’t you?”

“Maybe,” Piper said, smiling back. “If I’m up for a little beverage break.”

And then Solo’s hand tightened over her own in a way that seemed oddly protective, and Piper glanced up at her in surprise. “We’ll both come down for a drink later,” Solo said firmly. She grabbed the key and tossed a few bottlecaps down, shooting him a nod. “Thanks for the room.”

The bartender was frowning as Solo pulled Piper with her towards the stairs. Piper was trying very hard not to smile, pleased at the sudden turn of events. Innocently, she asked, “So, Blue… what was that?”

Solo let go of her hand as they reached the top of the landing. “What’re you referring to?”

“The way you just treated Mitch for asking me out for a drink,” Piper said smugly.

Solo unlocked their room and went inside, dumping her bag on her bed. She pulled Piper in as well and shut the door behind her. “I’ve never liked sleazy men.”

“Sleazy?” Piper repeated teasingly. “I always thought he was kinda charming.”

Solo took off her jacket, rolling her eyes. “Never mind.”

Piper put her stuff on her bed as well, still smiling to herself. She wasn’t sure whether she was disappointed or relieved that Solo had chosen the room with separate beds again. It was expected they’d go slow, of course, but she also wasn’t sure she wanted to sleep that far away now she knew there was actually something tangible between them. She was navigating waters she simply didn’t understand.

“You okay?”

Piper turned to see Solo staring at her worriedly.

“I’m fine,” she said, realizing she’d just been gazing into space.

“Good.” Solo paused, and then grabbed some things out of her bag. “I’m going to take a shower.”

She left the room silently, and Piper watched her go, silently cursing herself for being unable to make a move. It seemed that was what Solo was waiting for, or she would have just kissed her already. The tension was nearly killing her.

Piper sat on her bed and gazed around the room, relishing the fact that she was no longer in a dingy radiation-filled bunker. Far Harbor was positively cheerful in comparison. Her eyes travelled out of the window, peering through the layers of brine at the docks and the sea below. She caught sight of one of the wooden ships floating on the waves, a tense feeling of homesickness coiling in her stomach as she thought about going home. She wanted to see Nat desperately. Just thinking about Diamond City made her feel all panicky inside; it was enough to make her wonder what she was even doing here with Solo when she had a whole life waiting for her back in the Commonwealth. Would any of this be worth it in the end?

“Look… is something up?”

Solo had returned to the room while she was staring out of the window, and Piper jumped a little in shock. She smiled, though she knew it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Well, yeah,” she finally admitted. “But nothing bad.”

Running a hand through her wet hair, Solo dumped the rest of her clothes on her bed and walked over to gaze out of the window too. The light hit her face just right, highlighting her cheekbones and bringing out the colour in her eyes. She wasn’t wearing her armor or BOS uniform anymore; instead, she’d changed into jeans and a t-shirt. Piper was a little surprised to see her dressed so casually – she wasn’t sure she’d ever really seen her out of her armor.

“So?” Solo prompted her.

In as light a tone as she could manage, Piper said, “I was just thinking about home. Guess distance makes the heart grow fonder, huh?”

Solo frowned. She gazed out of the window at the sea, deep in thought. “You know, we’ve been through a lot here, but… you don’t have to stay.”

“’Course I have to stay,” Piper scoffed, a little hurt at the suggestion. “I’m as much a part of this as you are.”

The other woman sat down on the bed beside her, and Piper shifted over to give her more space. For a few seconds, there was only silence. It was comfortable, a silence between two people who knew each other well enough now that they only wanted the warmth of companionship, not unnecessary words. Solo finally met her eyes.

“I wouldn’t want you to go,” she clarified. “I was just thinking you’ve got plenty of things to get back to. Nat, the paper, the people of Diamond City…”

“And now I’ve got you,” Piper said firmly.

Solo shrugged. “I’d still be here.”

“No, not really.”

Piper reached for her hand, relieved when Solo let her take it. Again, the silence stretched on between them, and Solo began drawing circles on the back of her hand like before, idly painting symbols and patterns Piper couldn’t see. They were both subdued now, no longer as playful and flirtatious as they’d been earlier. Their emotions had changed in unison, like they were attached to the same tide, linked in the mind.

Piper admired everything about her. Solo had always been the badass adventurer she had aspired to be. She had wanted to travel and be a hero, no matter what the cost, no matter what it did to Nat. Now she’d met Solo, she knew the whole idea had merely been a literature-fed romance in the back of her head. Solo had never wanted to be an adventurer; she’d never wanted to live such a remarkable life. Sure, she was undeniably a hero, but all she was left with after the destruction of the Institute was a cause that wasn’t even hers. She’d lost everything. Piper should have known that the things she read in stories often weren’t true, and she should never really have expected this adventure to be a wonderful, exhilarating experience. She didn’t regret it, because she’d gotten to know Solo, but she still felt she should have sensed how she would feel at this point.

“I’m sorry,” Piper said ruefully.

“For what?”

“I don’t really know why I’m upset. I mean, I chose to come with you, didn’t I? Even though you told me not to.”

Solo arched an eyebrow. “And now you’re staying even though I said you could go.”

Piper smiled. “Doing things I’m told not to do is more exciting than following rules.”

“If I remember correctly, that’s exactly the sort of stubbornness which made me think you were extremely annoying when I first met you,” Solo said.

“Hey!”

“Well, it’s endearing now,” Solo said. “Sort of.”

Piper frowned at her. “You’re not so good at flattery, Blue.”

The other woman grinned at her, and Piper instantly forgot what she’d been about to say. After a few seconds of hesitation, her hand migrated to Solo’s hair, pushing it back from her face and twisting her fingers in the silvery locks. It was only around Solo that she felt she would fail to say something witty or interesting if she opened her mouth. Before now, Piper had been interested in nothing but Nat and the paper, but every time she saw Solo, every time the other woman spoke and looked at her so fondly, she was overwhelmed with a universe of feelings she couldn’t explain.

Sitting side by side on the mattress, they were so close that Piper was drawn to remember that kiss outside the Nucleus. She was remembering how real and special it was, even though it had mainly come as a surprise. It was too late now; she sure as hell couldn’t imagine being without her. They had once been strangers, then friends, and now she felt completely infatuated.

“You’re zoning out on me,” Solo said softly, her smile fading.

Piper blinked at her. “I-I’m trying to figure out what to say…”

“The whole point is that you don’t have to say anything.”

Piper looked at her curiously, searching for humor in her eyes but only finding solemnity. A hand tentatively touched her waist and drew her in, though Solo didn’t kiss her this time, apparently waiting for Piper to close the space between them. Piper lifted her other hand to the woman’s face, curling her fingers in her hair, watching the slight change in Solo’s eyes as she did so, the light grey being overcome by a glint of steel.

She breathed in sharply and then tilted her head to capture Solo’s lips with her own. Already, she knew how soft and warm they were, and she knew the feeling of those strong arms around her.

Solo pulled her close, fingers pressing into her spine as she returned the kiss, instantly taking control. Piper’s hands locked around Solo’s neck as she pressed against her, wanting more touch, more warmth, feeling delighted when the woman gave her exactly what she wanted. There was nothing innocent or teasing about the kiss, as short as it was; it was hot, fiery, passionate and demanding. Solo only held back long enough to make sure they were both comfortable before she deepened the kiss and quite literally made Piper’s knees feel like they were made of liquid. Her fingertips wound in Solo’s hair, trailed over her face and her shoulders, touching every part of her that she could reach. She felt a smoldering heat deep within her as Solo’s grip tightened, crushing her body close, gentle yet firm.

When they pulled apart, they both paused, looking into each other’s eyes. Piper swallowed and held her breath. Solo was smiling perhaps wider than she had ever seen her smile, hands still possessively holding her waist. Piper could feel herself tremble. She felt like a coward in that moment. She didn’t want to ever be far away from Solo, even if it meant going back to the old life she had loved.

“What’re you thinking?” Solo inquired, eyes searching her face.

“I’m thinking I’m lucky they thawed you out just for me.”

Solo bent her head and kissed her once more, her lips warm and soft. Even a kiss like this obliterated every thought, and Piper was left with her head swimming when the woman pulled away.

Cheeks heating – embarrassing herself as usual – she muttered, “You know, I don’t feel so upset anymore.”

“No?” To her delight, Solo took her hand and intertwined their fingers, delivering her a contented smile. With a gentle tug, she stood up and pulled Piper after her. “Then let’s go get that drink, huh?”

“I’d rather…” Piper trailed off, letting out a reluctant breath. “Right. A drink. Sure.”

“I’ll pay.”

Piper slowly grinned. “How can I refuse?”


	22. The Way Life Should Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solo struggles with the choices she has to make when she and Piper break into the Vim! Pop Factory to uncover DiMA's hidden evidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter here, guys!

Solo poked Piper’s shoulder, coming up suddenly behind her, and grinned when the reporter flinched. She crouched to gaze over the rise, blinking through the Fog. “Someone’s on edge,” she commented with a sideways smirk.

“Seriously, Blue?” Piper muttered, playfully poking Solo right back. “Why shouldn’t I be?”

Solo shrugged. “I don’t see anything wrong.”

Piper shot her a withering look. Sarcastically, she remarked, “I mean, the area's nice, but I'm not so sure about the neighbors.”

“Yeah.” Solo saw one of the big hulking shapes appear outside the entrance of the factory again, carrying a gigantic piece of splintered wood in both hands. A muscle-bound dog was trotting at his feet. “Wow,” she mused. “Someone's been eating their Cram.”

“Hope you like 'em big and dumb,” Piper quipped.

Solo glanced at her with a small smile. “You know how I like ‘em, Pipes.”

Piper’s eyes softened, and she reached over to squeeze Solo’s hand, but after a few seconds she pulled away coughing. Straightening up, she muttered, “Ugh, this stuff burns my lungs. How much foggier could this place get?”

“We’ll be inside soon.” Solo straightened up, hefting her Gatling laser towards her chest. It was the only weapon she was sure wouldn’t fail her against a whole soda factory filled with Super Mutants. No doubt this would be a hard mission, but once they found the medical facility and all the evidence that DiMA had tried to bury, it would be worth it.

Who would they find? Which member of Far Harbor society had been replaced with a synth?

Solo lead the way while Piper watched her back, heading across the short bridge into the Vim! Pop Factory’s grounds. The first of the Super Mutants was a brute wearing chainmail and a loincloth, and Solo waited until his beefy back was turned before she fired up her gun and pierced him straight through the chest with burning holes. He died with an angry shout, falling face-first into a puddle, and instantly Solo heard the other Super Mutants rallying for battle. She and Piper pressed themselves against one of the old trucks as bullets began flying in all directions, their enemies searching furiously for them. The Fog was on their side today.

Solo picked out another hulking shape and opened fire, killing him instantly with a head shot. Piper took out one of their hounds with short, controlled bursts of her laser pistol, aiming past Solo’s shoulder. Together, they worked efficiently to slaughter any and every Super Mutant that appeared out of the Fog, hardly even moving from their hiding place. Eventually, a stray bullet managed to hit its mark – Solo hissed as it pierced through her shoulder, surprising her, and hunched a little as Piper instantly returned fire over her head. The reporter kept on firing until the Super Mutant was piled on top of his comrades, bleeding out onto the asphalt. Once the sound of gunfire had stopped, she finally lowered her pistol and blew out the barrel like a cowboy in one of those old Western movies.

“Got ‘em,” she remarked. And then she turned to Solo, worried. “Blue, are you...?”

“I’m fine.” Solo winced as she lifted the Gatling laser again, ignoring the throbbing agony radiating out from her wound. “We should keep going.”

Piper stopped her with a hand on her wrist, peering at the blood slowly staining her BOS uniform. With a straight face, she said, “Don't worry. Your arm's still attached. I think.”

“Thanks, Piper,” Solo grinned. “Come on.”

They passed by the main doors in search of a basement entrance, rounding the front of the building. In one of the guard houses, Solo found an old medikit with several Stimpacks inside. Even when Piper tried to make her use one, she refused it, already knowing they were low on medicine. If anything, they’d only start needing them more and more.

After massacring several more Super Mutants who were standing guard by a second entrance, Solo decided it was about time to head inside and start searching for the medical facility. As they passed through the doors, Solo could already hear the angry voices of Super Mutants echoing through the warehouse. They had entered on one of the lower levels of the factory where the drinks were processed and bottled. Solo grabbed a couple bottles out of crates as they passed, slipping them into her bag. She stopped when she heard the heavy footsteps above, holding her breath as she waited for the Super Mutants to come into sight.

She took a few more tentative steps forward, looking around, and then froze, feeling Piper do exactly the same beside her. There were about three of the brutes standing above, staring straight down in their direction. They weren’t moving, either.

“Uh, I think they see us,” Piper hissed.

Solo didn’t need any more reason to open fire; she began shooting upwards at the platform they were standing on, sending them running. Changing her strategy swiftly, Solo aimed at their legs, chasing each of them and disabling their movement until they collapsed. Roaring, two of them began firing back, the machine fire sending both Solo and Piper scattering out of the way.

“Bathe in your blood!’ one of them bellowed.

Slamming herself against one of the bottling processors, Solo started up her Gatling laser, catching both Super Mutants in the same line of fire. The third, who had no gun and was struggling to crawl down to get them, was silenced by Piper’s pistol. Two shots, and his brain was blown out of his skull. They both stood down, catching their breath back.

“This is like a Super Mutant city,” Solo muttered irritably.

“Yeah, no kidding. How many do you think there are?”

Solo shrugged. She peered closer at her partner. “You okay?”

“Fine. You?”

“Right as rain.” Solo hefted her gun again, favoring her left shoulder. “Let’s go.”

They passed deeper and deeper into the factory, shooting any Super Mutants they came across. Large vats of bubbling soda sat in the center of each room, glowing a poisonous-looking green. Solo was having second thoughts about those bottles she'd swiped earlier.

Finally, after what seemed like hours trying to catch their bearings and remain hidden from danger, Piper and Solo came across a lift through a security gate. Solo took to the terminal, hacking into the system, and Piper hung back to keep watch. Once the gate was open, they headed through, and Solo jabbed the down button inside the lift. It shuddered and creaked, the lights flickering. “ _Going down_.”

As the elevator began moving, Solo winced, wondering what how unlucky she could possibly be if it broke now and sent them plummeting to their deaths. She switched on the green glow of her Pip-Boy and smiled over at Piper, who looked just as nervous as she did.

“Don’t you just love pre-war mechanics?”

“That's gonna be a no,” Piper said dryly.

The elevator stopped very suddenly. “ _Basement floor_.”

The doors slid open, and Piper and Solo peered out at the staircase ahead of them. The shaking footsteps and grunting voices of Super Mutants weren’t there to greet them; instead, they were met with a deep, echoing silence. The staircase winded around the walls towards the floor below, sunken in darkness, so they could hardly see the bottom.

Solo again went first, warning Piper to stay behind her, lighting the way with her Pip-Boy. It was a small room at the bottom, complete with piles of rubble and shattered concrete. It didn’t look much like a medical facility at all.

They split up to the look around, Piper using a flip-lighter to see while Solo continued to use her Pip-Boy’s light. The so-called medical facility was split into several rooms, with shelves of boxes and old items stacked up against the walls. One of the rooms ended in a large observation window, but it was too clouded to see through and all of the computers were shut down. Even if there was something on the other side, they'd never manage to get to it.

Eventually, finding nothing, they ended up in the center again. Solo was confused – frustrated, even. “I don’t get it,” she said angrily. “The holotape explicitly said this was where DiMA buried his evidence.”

Piper glanced around. “Looks like no one's been in here for years.”

“Centuries, even,” Solo muttered. She glanced around, feeling a little helpless. “Maybe he moved the evidence?”

“After removing the memory?” Piper shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Solo watched as the reporter did a small circle of the room, gazing thoughtfully at the walls. She finally came to a stop again in front of Solo, looking down at her feet. With the toe of one of her boots, she scuffed at the ground. Her eyes darted to the left – a tell-tale sign that she had an idea.

“Blue, look.”

Solo tried to see what she was looking at, but she wasn’t sure what exactly she was meant to be searching for. “What is it?” she asked impatiently.

“All of the floor’s concrete, except here.” Piper kicked at the dirt again, a smile coming to her face. “It’s kind of… rectangular-shaped, huh?”

Solo finally understood what she meant, and began to smile as well. “Well, look at you. The snoop’s done it again.”

Piper grinned, darting to the other side of the room where she picked up a wrench. “No shovels, so I guess we’ll have to make do.”

Solo set her bag down and found a tin can, kneeling beside the rectangle of dirt on the floor. The dirt was impossibly hard and dry, but she figured they’d be able to dig through it within the hour. Piper kneeled across from her and began digging with the wrench, wriggling it into the dirt with a concentrated look on her face. Solo watched her fondly for a moment before she leaned forward and began doing the same, working on the other end of the soil rectangle. They dug and dug until their palms were sore and their arms were aching. They sweated and inhaled years of dust into their lungs, but they kept on going despite the intense effort. A pile of soil had grown beside them until it became a small hill.

Eventually, Solo felt her tin can hit something that was hollow. She sat back on her knees and drew an arm over her forehead to wipe the sweat away. Piper kneeled back as well, staring across the grave at her.

“We found it,” she said quietly.

“Yeah...”

Solo wanted to feel awed and triumphant, but the fact they had actually discovered a coffin under here only told them one thing; that what they had found in the memories was completely correct. That _all_ of them were correct. And Solo had no idea what they were going to do with DiMA now that they knew what he had done. They had real evidence.

Together, they brushed away the rest of the dirt to reveal the wooden coffin before tossing their digging tools aside. It was long enough for sure to fit a body of considerable height; out of the all the harborpeople they had met, anyone could suit the size. There was no inscription, not even a cross cut into the wood; this was a coffin meant to hide the person inside it, not mourn the loss of their existence.

As Solo reached to open it, Piper grabbed her hand, looking conflicted. In the green glow of the Pip-Boy, her eyes shone with apprehension. Solo wanted to hug her until there was no worry left, but she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to pull away if she did.

“What if-”

“There’s no time for ‘what if’,” Solo cut in softly. “We need to know who it is, Pipes.”

Piper stared at her, and then gently let go of her hand. Now without resistance, Solo swung open the coffin’s door and sat back as they were both hit with the old trapped stench of a decomposed body. Piper covered her nose, staring down at the flesh-bare skeleton lying inside on top of a carpet of sand and dirt. She slowly removed her hand from her face. Of course, they shouldn’t have expected the body to still be recognizable, but it was still disheartening to be unable to tell even if it was a man or a woman.

And then Solo saw the familiar white-and-orange glint of a holotape lying just beneath the skeleton’s right hand. She reached in and scooped it out, already readying her Pip-Boy to play it. Written along one side of the holotape was the phrase, “What’s done is done” written in capital letters. Not exactly heartening to see. Solo placed it inside her Pip-Boy and pressed play.

There was a very long click and a few seconds of whirring before voices filled the silence:

“ _Is it… is it gonna be painful?_ ”

“ _Yes_ ,” DiMA’s voice replied flatly. “ _It’s going to be like having everything you are ripped out and replaced with something else_. _Someone else._ ”

There was a short pause, the woman hesitating. “ _I’m ready. I just… I wish I could say goodbye to everyone._ ”

“ _No one else can know_ ,” DiMA said gently. “ _This isn’t just about infiltrating Far Harbor. It’s about becoming the human that synths drawn here need to meet. Reasonable, willing to accept them as just another living thing, no greater or lesser than humanity itself. You’ll be part of the bridge between our two worlds. That all vanishes the moment anyone discovers that it’s been manufactured, that you’re a synth._ ”

Again, another pause. “ _Does she have to die? The-the woman I’m replacing… God..._ ” A shaky breath. “… _She looks so peaceful lying there_.”

Solo raised her eyebrows, understanding now. So, this was one of Acadia's synths speaking. And the person who she was going to replace… was a woman.

“ _Don’t. Please_ ,” DiMA whispered. “ _Avery’s blood is on my hands, not yours._ ”

It felt like a little jolt to the heart – Solo blinked, glancing up at Piper, and saw the exact same shocked expression on the other woman’s face. This skeleton was the human remains of the real leader of Far Harbor, who DiMA had murdered to ensure his people were treated better. The Captain who had talked to Piper and Solo in Far Harbor, who had helped them and seemed so adamant to keep peace… that had been a synth. This whole time, Captain Avery hadn’t even been a real person. Just the thought made Solo feel terribly angry and distraught; after all she had done to fight the Institute, there was still a being immoral enough to want to do this to someone. To kill them and take control of their life like a master puppeteer, only to bring benefit to themselves. Solo didn’t want to have to hate synths, didn’t want a reason to believe what the Brotherhood believed, but DiMA had only proved them to be correct. Synths just couldn’t be trusted.  

There were a few seconds more of whirring, and then the holotape clicked off. Solo felt a little sick, and she knew Piper did, too. How could it be that the synth they had been helping this whole time was actually a murderer? What the hell were they supposed to do now?

Solo stood up, feeling a little unsteady, and Piper stared at her for a few seconds before jumping to her feet too. She walked over and immediately slid her arms around Solo’s waist, drawing her in and hugging her tightly. Solo held her in slight relief, face pressed into her shoulder, trying to suppress the confusing blend of feelings rising up inside her. She didn’t want to have to deal with this, but she knew she would have to. Far Harbor needed to receive Avery’s skull and the holotape as evidence, and DiMA would need to pay for what he had done. There was no question about it.

But she needed to know if it was just DiMA or if it was all the synths who needed to pay for this. How could any of them be trusted now?

“Acadia,” Solo said softly. “We need to go to Acadia.”

Piper pulled back to look her in the eyes. “Aren’t we going to follow the rest of the leads first?”

Solo shook her head. “Pipes, it’s my job to deal with this. And it’s yours, too. What DiMA’s done needs to be dealt with now. And we can't trust any of the others who live there – not Chase, or Faraday, or any of the-”

“Blue,” Piper interrupted firmly, frowning. “It was only DiMA who did this. And even he doesn't remember how or why he did it.” When Solo’s face didn’t change, she stepped back, expression growing darker. “You said you weren’t Brotherhood anymore. I… don’t believe you’d want to punish all of them for the acts of one.”

Solo was silent for a long time. She had a lot to think about – more than Piper could ever know.

Ever since she had entered the Commonwealth, she’d had facts drilled into her, and she’d been expected to use them to make decisions. The Institute was bad, and the settlers were good. Synths were abominations, even if they were more or less biologically human. Ghouls were monsters, even if they kept to themselves and did good things for others. She had been corrupted by greed, and hope, and cruelty. She had been forced into submission because she knew no better and because she’d been hellbent on finding her own son.

 _Leaders are only leaders if you follow them_. Nate had told her this once, the night before he left to go to war for what must have been the fifth time. He’d been lying in bed with his arms around her, and she’d had his dog tags clutched tightly in one fist. _'Just following orders' will never be an excuse again, not that it ever really was. Everything we do has to be guided by love_.

Nate had never really gone to war and fought because he wanted to follow orders, or even because he wanted to be a hero. Maybe at first those had been his motivations, but once he had a wife and son, he only fought to keep them safe from the apocalypse that was approaching on the edge of the horizon. He was guided by more than just his duty.

Solo had been guided by her love for Shaun at first, but as soon as she found him and realized he was already a withered old man, her guidance had started to come from people like Elder Maxson. She’d drunken up his orders like lifeblood; she’d carried out what he wanted even though part of her knew it was wrong. She had left the synth Shaun behind because she’d known the other soldiers were watching, and she knew it would be wrong to let him live.

It had been worse - so much worse - to let him die.

All of the synths were made from a piece of Shaun. Perhaps that was what made this mission so hard; what had made destroying the Institute so hard. Even the synth which had replaced Captain Avery was a child of her son, consisting of the same DNA she had given to him. The synths were her grandchildren, her descendants, and she must have known all this time that it meant they were not the abominations the Brotherhood said they were. They were human. Like Shaun, they deserved more than death and a life lived without love or family or acceptance. Even though DiMA was not her descendant, even though he had barely anything to do with her son, Solo knew that he was more human than machine. Compared to the raiders and gunners who slaughtered hundreds just for sport; to the Brotherhood, who would slaughter a whole town just to delete a few; to the Institute, who would erase the entire Commonwealth just to start anew… DiMA was not an evil abomination. Solo wanted to hear him explain himself. She didn’t want to watch him die for sins he didn’t even know he had committed.

“We’re going to Acadia,” Solo said again, more firmly this time. She glanced down at Piper. “But not to punish him. DiMA needs to know what he’s done.”

Piper looked a little surprised for a second. “You mean… you’re going to tell him?”

“I just want an explanation,” Solo clarified. “DiMA, if he really is more man than synth, will decide what punishment he deserves. And if he doesn’t, his people will.”

Piper stared at her almost as if she didn’t recognize her. And then she smiled the kind of smile that made Solo feel happy to be alive and just that little bit more human. Piper hesitated. “Blue, I’m sorry I said-”

“I was serious when I said I wasn’t Brotherhood anymore,” Solo cut in assuredly. “You don’t ever have to doubt that.”

“I don’t, not really.” But she looked a little bit embarrassed, like maybe she did. Solo didn't blame her.

“For once in my life, I want to make things right.” Solo smiled sadly, glancing down at Avery’s coffin. “I couldn’t save my son, and I definitely couldn’t save my husband. Maybe I just want to save _someone_.”

“Oh, Blue,” Piper sighed. She stepped forward and took both of Solo’s hands. “We’re all in your debt, and we always will be. I get that maybe you didn’t destroy the Institute for yourself – maybe it was more for the Brotherhood than it was for you. But you _have_ saved people.”

Solo was silent. And then, squeezing Piper’s hands once, she let go. “This time it'll be for me, then. Fight for what I love rather than die for what I hate, right?”

“Oh yeah.” Piper scratched her head, self-conscious. “That was… in a spur of the moment.”

“Well, let’s go do that.”

“Fight for what we love?”

“No, die for what we hate,” Solo muttered sarcastically. “What d’you think?”

Piper shook her head, pressing a hand to her forehead woefully. “Let’s just get out of here.”

Solo grinned, but she stopped Piper as she made to approach the grave once again, pulling her back. "You know… if Nate had ever met you, he’d have loved you,” she told her quietly. “You’re everything he looked for in a person.”

“ _You’re_ everything _I_ look for.”

Solo raised her eyebrows questioningly, deeply flattered but also slightly skeptical. "Am I?"

Piper smiled, suddenly awkward. “Obviously your husband had the same idea,” she said. “Or he wouldn’t’ve married you.”

“I-”

“Please don’t deny it,” Piper sighed. She walked over to the grave and began collecting her things, glancing up when she saw Solo was still standing there staring at her. “What? I thought we were heading to Acadia? Did you change your mind again?”

“No.” Solo allowed herself to smile freely and openly. “Not at all.”

She bent and gingerly collected Avery’s skull from the grave, placing it in her bag before zipping it up and slinging it over her shoulders. She kicked most of the dirt back on top of the coffin, patting it down with her heel. With her Gatling laser over one shoulder, she gave the grave a once-over before leaving it alone.

Piper was waiting by the bottom of the staircase, hands in pockets. “Ready?”

Before she passed her, Solo leaned in to press a chaste kiss to Piper’s mouth, hands framing her face. When she pulled away, she smiled at the other woman’s baffled expression. “You’re everything I look for, too.”

Piper opened her mouth to say something, but Solo bent to kiss her again, feeling the eventual curve of her smile. The woman grabbed the straps of her armor to pull her closer and then slung her arms around her neck. Solo felt her laugh a little, and laughed too, finally pulling away to rest their foreheads together. “You’re the one person in this world I can count on,” she said. "I don't take that lightly."

“Well,” Piper shrugged mock-apologetically. “I’ve got other people. But yeah, I can count on you, too.”

Solo rolled her eyes. “Thanks for ruining the moment, Pipes.”

“I’m being _honest_ -”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re a warrior of the truth, bla bla bla…”

Piper scowled at her. 

“Fine.” Solo kissed her cheek and stepped away. "Let's go."

As she turned and headed up the staircase, Piper followed her close behind. For the first time since discovering Avery's remains, Solo actually felt triumphant that they had come across some evidence. And she felt right about the decision she'd made. DiMA had killed an innocent woman; he’d buried her here to hide his evidence. He’d committed a crime far greater than Solo had expected him to. But he would answer for what he had done, no matter what. She allowed herself to feel happy now knowing that, because at least she wasn’t the sort of person who would storm Acadia and slaughter all the synths because of what he’d done; not anymore. Whatever Piper had done to change her, she wasn’t a monster anymore. Yet another of Nate’s favorite quotes – a Nietzsche gem – had stuck fast in the back of her mind: “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”

 _I don’t answer to Maxson anymore; I answer to me_ , she thought. _And that’s the way life should be._


	23. Acadian Ideals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Solo and Piper to confront DiMA about what he's done. Also, fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for the long wait! Things have gotten very busy recently, so I didn't have much time to add to the following chapters. However, without further ado, here's a rather long one which should keep you satisfied for the next week or so. The story shall be coming to an end very soon (and by that, I mean at least 5 more chapters), though I could be inspired enough to write a few bonus chapters...  
> Enjoy!

The moment they arrived back in their room in The Last Plank, ready to pack up for what would perhaps be their last journey to Acadia, Solo was unlocking the safe and taking out all the ammunition and caps she’d stashed in there. Piper watched with a slight sense of unease, wondering what exactly the other woman was preparing for. Did she really expect a full-on battle with Acadia tomorrow? Was that what she thought would be the worst-case scenario?

She was in a whirl of constant movement, creating piles and packages of each item, taking apart and cleaning each gun before putting it back together again. The actions were swift and well-practiced, her face set in an expression of stony concentration. Piper wondered if she’d forgotten she was even there. She pulled out her notebook, wanting to write about what had happened, but she couldn’t bring herself to do even that. Coming back to Far Harbor and knowing that DiMA had actually taken an innocent human life just for the sake of peace… well, it was unsettling. Piper wasn’t sure the end had justified the means. Not at all. Now that war was approaching the island again, what prevented DiMA from pulling the same trick once more and replacing someone else with a synth?

Worriedly, Piper chewed on her lip and tucked her notepad and pen back into the pocket of her coat before untying it and taking it off, laying it across the mattress. She took off her boots as well, and unwrapped her fingerless gloves to place them on the windowsill. She had very little to pack up; she hadn’t had much with her that she wanted to take out of her bag and lock away. Piper had never really owned anything that was valuable to other people. Her family had never been rich, and she’d always struggled to scrape up the caps just to get by, even after she’d gotten the paper going. She’d never made any rich friends, either – no friends were made, period. The only thing she’d ever had that other people wanted was the truth. And that was kept in her mind, where no one could steal it from her.

Unless she was replaced with a synth. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon and she and Solo would leave this island without becoming another of DiMA’s secrets hidden away in the Fog.

Solo was still counting her ammo, brow creased in concentration, and Piper knew better than to interrupt her. She pulled her towel and wash kit from her bag, shot Solo a smile over her shoulder she wasn’t sure the other woman received, and then left the room to take a shower across the hall. The wooden floorboards creaked under her feet and she paused fleetingly to gaze out of the window at the night beyond. It felt like she was stuck on the edge of something monumental every time she stayed in this hostel; there was always a sense of fear about what was happening next. Piper shut the door to the communal bathroom, glad that there were no guests other than she and Solo tonight. She locked the door anyway, but she was feeling safer knowing that there wouldn’t be any drunk guests stumbling in on her and catching her in the nude. She’d experienced such a thing once, and it was a memory she never wanted to relive.

As she stripped, Piper checked her shoulder, glad to see that it was back to normal – only some faint white lines remained from the wolf’s teeth. And she still had smooth skin and all her hair despite her time spent in the Nucleus. Her infiltration had been an incredible success; she was good for something, after all.

She stepped into the shower stall, toes flinching as they touched the chilled ceramic floor. The water, which was heated every morning by woodfire, made her feel immediately drowsy and untroubled. She selfishly stood under the flow for a good ten minutes after washing her hair and her skin, just soaking in the heat with her eyes closed, leaning against the wall. The water poured down as her mind faded into dullness and everything became a foggy illusion. The sensation of the steamy water calmed her; it took her mind off things. But she knew it wouldn’t last forever. It never did.

When her fingertips were starting to wrinkle, she turned off the tap and squeezed the water out of her hair, grabbing her towel. The cold air had hit her like an icy blast the moment the hot water was gone, and she felt herself shivering. Painstakingly, she wrapped the towel around her body and stepped up to the mirror, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. For a second, all she could do was just stare at herself; at the few scars she could see on her bare skin and the dark circles under her eyes. She’d seen all of it before. That look told her she didn’t know what was right or wrong anymore, and she was worried she and Solo might make a terrible mistake. Piper frowned, and her reflection frowned right back at her.

Funny to think she’d only come to this island for a good story. How typical of her to get sucked into something so much more immense.

Piper began dragging her brush through her hair, wincing at some of the larger knots she hadn’t bothered to get out the day before. When she was done, she brushed her teeth for good measure, even though she knew she’d only be sleeping for about an hour before they were off to Acadia. She was just grabbing another change of clothes when there was a terse knock on the door. Piper froze.

“Yeah?” she called hesitantly.

There was a faint voice: “It’s me.”

“Who’s ‘me’?”

“Very funny, Piper.”

Piper walked to the door and unlocked it, then realized she still hadn’t gotten dressed yet and hugged her arms around herself as Solo came in and all the heat escaped the room. Solo gave her a once-over, apparently both amused and surprised, before she turned and closed the door behind her. “Sorry. I thought you’d be finished.”

Piper shrugged. “I am, basically.”

Solo turned and looked at herself in the mirror, then gestured to her shoulder. She’d changed into her t-shirt and jeans again, ready to sleep, but one of the sleeves was rolled up past the shoulder to reveal where the bullet had passed through her flesh. “Never got a chance to clean this. And I don’t think I can reach. Normally I’d just use a stimpack, but…”

“But we might need them later,” Piper finished for her. She noticed Solo had a bottle of vodka with her and raised her eyebrows. “Bottoms up?”

“Not for drinking.” Solo set the bottle by the sink and unscrewed the top. “It’s to sterilize the wound.”

“Good call.” Piper grabbed some spare gauze from her bag and guided Solo to sit on the toilet so she could reach her shoulder easier. She eyed the wound, concerned. “It’s pretty deep, Blue. I think the bullet’s still in there. Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Sure does.” She winced. “Have any tweezers?”

“No.”

“Here, then.” Solo reached into her pocket and pulled out one of her shiny combat knives. She’d definitely prepared for this. “Dig it out. I won’t scream, I promise.”

Piper took the knife, grimacing. “I’m not exactly a doctor, Blue.”

There was a glint of humor in Solo’s grey eyes as she glanced up at her. “Role-play, then. Just imagine the bullet’s a little piece of the truth that you’re trying to get out of me. ‘Nothing stays hidden forever’, right?”

“Oh har har.” Piper rolled her eyes. “Seriously, though.”

“I trust you.” Solo lifted her shoulder a little. “Just try to make it fast.”

 _Here goes nothing_ , Piper thought.

She could see the slight glimmer of metal in the wound and centered the tip of the knife on it, feeling Solo’s shoulder tense up under her hand. There was a muffled gasp, and Solo’s fingers very abruptly wrapped tight around Piper’s wrist, steadying her. She paused, worried. “You okay?”

“Keep on going,” Solo said calmly.

Piper winced as she twisted the knife a little and levered the bullet out as hastily as she could, but there was no other reaction from Solo. Piper dropped it in the sink with a small clatter, and Solo glanced over at it, seemingly relieved. When she saw the worry on Piper’s face, she only grinned. “Look, I’m fine.” She carefully rolled her shoulder to prove her point.

“Show-off.” Piper poured some of the vodka on the bullet wound without warning, making Solo hiss in pain. “…Sorry.”

“Maybe try a countdown next time.”

“Hopefully there won’t _be_ a next time,” Piper retorted.

Solo was silent after that. After taping the gauze over her shoulder and making sure it wouldn’t move, Piper stepped away and washed the blood off her hands, realizing it made her feel a little sick. She really didn’t like seeing Solo wounded, even though it happened so often. It was something akin to what she’d felt when Nat had been playing on the roof that one time and had fallen, breaking her leg. She hated it when people she cared about got hurt.

Sighing, the other woman stood up and stretched gracefully, heading towards the bathroom door. “Thanks, Pipes.”

“Welcome,” Piper mumbled.

As she passed her, Solo paused and lightly touched her hands, looking worried. Piper realized she was still scrubbing them doggedly despite their cleanliness. She stopped, a little sheepish, and dried them on the towel she was wearing, stepping back from the sink. “I’m fine,” she said quickly, before the other woman could ask.

“Oh, sure. Me too.”

Solo’s eyes were observing her knowingly. She certainly was _not_ fine; she was probably just as doubtful and upset about what they were caught up in as Piper was. Still, she was very good at hiding it, and she wanted Piper to know that she was allowed to hide it, too. They both knew each other well enough now to realize what was underneath.

Solo cocked her head, and again Piper felt the other woman appraising her still slightly soaked and towel-wrapped appearance. Self-consciously, she folded her arms across her chest again, trying to act casual as she turned back to her bag and reached for her clothes.

“You smell really good,” Solo mused.

Piper turned and blinked at Solo, trying to catch up with the sudden change in her tone. Before she even had the possibility of controlling it, she felt her cheeks heating up into a humiliating shade of pink. She smiled, because she was unsure of what else to do. “I mean… I just showered,” she said frankly.

Solo grinned. “Should’ve told me you were going to.”

Piper furrowed her brow, turning to face her fully. “Why?”

“You know.” Solo took a sudden step towards her. “Conserving water.”

Understanding, Piper stumbled over her words. “O-oh… I mean, yeah. Good idea.”

“Next time, I guess.”

Although she was definitely overwhelmed, Piper was lucid enough to hope that there _would_ be a next time. Showering with Solo would be… an interesting experience…

Solo’s hand winding in her hair as she leaned in to kiss her was enough to derail that train of thought.

No matter how many times Solo kissed her, Piper’s heart still started beating like it wanted to escape from her chest. Somehow, Solo managed to make each time completely different. Piper mumbled her surprise against her mouth and felt the other woman smiling, hands gently pushing her until her back hit the tiled wall. She let her, a little subdued, and tentatively pressed her hands against Solo’s neck, being careful not to jolt the newly-wrapped wound on her shoulder.

Solo swept her wet hair aside and kissed her just over the collarbone. She nibbled at her ear and trailed her lips over her throat. Overwhelmed by all the wonderful sensations, Piper grasped her shirt and dragged her gently closer until she was essentially trapped against the bathroom’s doorframe. Just the feel of the other woman’s lithe body pressed up against her own, warm and alive, made her feel giddy with excitement. She still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Solo actually _wanted_ her; this gorgeous woman who looked like a movie star lost in time and who, for the life of her, Piper just couldn’t seem to completely figure out.

She pressed her face into Solo’s neck, fingers combing urgently through her hair. A tentative hand stroked up beneath her towel’s hem, caressing her bare thigh, and Piper jumped a little before forcing herself to settle down again. It hadn’t escaped Solo’s attention, however. Nothing did.  “You okay?” Solo mumbled, pulling away momentarily.

Piper quickly nodded.

“Good.”

Solo’s mouth swiftly captured hers again, one hand slipping into her hair, kissing her fervently, then soft and slow. It was a whirlwind of sensation, one that Piper could hardly follow. She pressed forward and returned the kiss with bountiful enthusiasm, the caress of Solo’s lips softer than she could have imagined.

A soft growl was muffled against the line of Piper’s throat as Solo pulled away very suddenly, almost in frustration.

Piper blinked at her, feeling like she had whiplash, but immediately noticed the pained expression on the other woman’s face. Thinking it was something to do with the bullet wound, she reached out to touch her, but let her hand drop before it could cross the open space between them. The boundary was insurmountable; she was cold all over again. “Blue, what’s wrong?”

Solo’s eyes were distant, but in a meticulously gentle movement, as if she were afraid Piper would break, she reached out and drew her into her arms. She buried her face in Piper’s shoulder, hands flexing around her back, pressing close once again. A little worried, Piper turned her face into Solo’s neck, breathing in the scent of her hair and wondering what the hell had just happened. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she  felt a slight shiver run down the other woman’s spine. Piper stroked a hand carefully over the back of her neck, a little disappointed but remembering what this meant to Solo. After everything she’d been through with her husband and son, she was likely to have some serious hang-ups. Piper was willing to give her all the time she needed, even if she was confused.

“Blue?” she tried again. “You okay?”

There was an incomprehensible mumble, the woman’s hands tightening around her. Piper held her tighter too, until it felt like they couldn’t be fitted any closer together. Her heart rate calmed until it returned to normal, and Piper sighed, stroking her hand soothingly over Solo’s back. Perhaps this was even nicer than whatever had been about to happen: just holding this beautiful woman in her arms and trying to understand her. She wanted to fix whatever pain or anxiety Solo felt, but she didn’t know how.

“Sorry,” Solo said, finally lifting her face from Piper’s shoulder. She definitely hadn’t been crying, but her eyes looked strained as if she was trying not to. Piper brushed a thumb over her cheek as if wiping away an imaginary tear, peering into the light grey of her eyes with concern.

“Don’t be. I just want you to be alright.”

“I am,” Solo said firmly. “And… it wasn’t you, by the way. I can’t explain.”

Piper tilted forwards to press a soft, chaste kiss to her lips. When she pulled away, Solo was looking at her so adoringly that her heart rate sped right back up again.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Piper said positively.

The other woman rested a hand against her cheek, stroking her skin, and pulled her so their foreheads were rested together. When she spoke, her voice was appealingly low, and Piper felt like no one else in the world could hear her.

“You have no idea how much I want you.”

Piper reached to touch Solo’s face too, thumb brushing lightly and suggestively over her lips. “After that, I have a basic idea, believe me.”

Though she still had no idea why.

Solo smiled at her, but she seemed nervous nevertheless. “I won’t keep on pulling away, but after everything that’s-”

“ _Blue_ ,” Piper said, chastising her. “You've got nothing to worry about. This is the happiest I've been in a long time. Maybe we’re not exactly safe, but… I'm out here with you. What more could a girl ask for?”

“Right.” Solo’s hand dropped from her face and she pulled away, though one arm remained hooked around her waist. She was evidently unconvinced, but at least she was smiling. After a moment, she ducked her chin coyly. “I should leave you to… get dressed.”

Piper cleared her throat. “Oh – yeah. Probably.”

Those intense grey eyes roamed over her body again, unabashedly drinking in the sight of her, and then Solo stepped back and headed to the door. “Don’t take too long...”

Piper watched her leave and rubbed her hands over her arms to soothe the goosebumps that had risen there, rolling her eyes at her reflection in the mirror.

 _You are absolutely hopeless_.

 ---

When Piper returned to the room, Solo had already finished packing up all her things; her bag, weapons and armor were placed neatly at the foot of her bed, and she was sitting on the edge of her mattress, fiddling with her Pip-Boy. When Piper came in, she acknowledged her presence with a cheerful smile. “Oh, you’re still alive. Figured you’d stay in there forever.”

“Heh. Sorry.” Piper raked her fingers through her hair and shut the door, glancing once out of the window. Setting her Pip-Boy on the nightstand, Solo leaned back to watch as Piper got ready for bed, trying her best not to smirk at the memory of the younger woman standing half-naked and wet in the bathroom, looking discomfited beyond belief.

 _Oh, if only you knew how endearing you are_.

Then again, after what had happened in the bathroom, she probably felt like she was receiving plenty of mixed messages.

Feeling a little guilty, Solo stood and gestured to her bed. “Interested in sharing tonight?”

As if she hadn’t heard, Piper zipped up her bag casually and didn’t turn around. “Can’t stay away, huh?”

Amusedly, Solo said, “Am I that obvious?”

Piper nodded. More bashfully, she acknowledged, “It is pretty cold tonight, isn’t it?”

“Very,” Solo said, catching on. “It’ll be a hard feat to keep warm.”

“I hate it when I start shivering in my sleep.”

Solo shrugged nonchalantly. “In that case, I might as well mention that I have very impressive circulation. Like a human radiator.”

“Huh.” Piper’s eyes sparkled as she turned finally to face Solo. “Sounds… useful.”

Arching an eyebrow suggestively, Solo climbed into bed and patted the mattress beside her. “It is. Come and see for yourself.”

“Blue.”

“Hmm?”

Piper hesitated, something distant and cautious flashing in her eyes. “You… really must’ve been a good lawyer, you know. Good at selling a point.”

“Does that mean you’ll stop stalling and come and lie down?”

Piper shifted, but she didn’t make a move towards her bed. Solo wondered at her sudden lack of confidence, eyeing her thoughtfully. It had always seemed a little odd that the reporter had spent more time than even she had being alone. Piper was attractive enough to get any decent man or woman in the Commonwealth to want to be with her, but perhaps her reputation had ruined more than just her ability to make friends. Her dedication to the paper had reduced too many of her options for her to even bother pursuing any sort of relationship. Perhaps, like Solo, she had grown accustomed to loneliness and now was struggling to come to terms with being close to another person. Maybe they were both suffering from moving too fast.

Solo sat up to look at the other woman more carefully. “Just so you know, you can tell me if something’s wrong. If I’m pushing you to do something you don’t want to do –”

“What? No! No, that’s not what…” Piper stopped herself, and then crossed the room to sit on the edge of Solo’s mattress, looking nervous. “Maybe I’m still getting used to it. Us. This.” She sighed again. “It’s different.”

“Well, it’s different for me, too.”

“I know.” She tucked a few stray locks of black hair behind her ears and momentarily stared at Solo before taking her hand. “I guess I’ve just been wondering… how many relationships established in a hail of gunfire actually work out? How long until something bad happens to one of us? Until we disagree on something and then suddenly don’t wanna be around each other anymore?”

Solo considered her thoughtfully for a long moment. “Did my asking you to share a bed with me seriously bring all of that up?”

Laughing slightly, Piper ducked her head. “Well, no, not exactly. But after what just happened between you and me… in the bathroom… I guess it’s been on my mind.” She hesitated, biting her lip. “I don’t want to do this if it ends up costing us both. You matter too much for that to happen.”

Solo smiled fondly at her. “Look at you, being all romantic.”

“Can’t exactly blame me for worrying, can you?” Piper said, cheeks turning pink.

“No.” Solo lifted her hand to her mouth and kissed the back of it. “But you don’t need to.”

Piper’s eyes softened, as Solo had expected them to. “Really?”

“I’ll be there for you as long as you’ll have me,” Solo said earnestly.

The reporter looked pleasantly lost for words, and Solo filed that expression away as another of her minor successes. Squeezing her hand, she added, “As for right now, I’d genuinely like a good night’s sleep for once. Willing to help me out?”

Piper hesitated for little more than a second. Finally, she shifted over and laid down, firmly curling herself into Solo’s body with her head tucked into the space between her neck and shoulder. Like some kind of wasteland cat she’d managed to tame. Solo smiled in relief, slipping an arm around her and settling herself into the reporter’s presence. Piper didn’t speak another word, but Solo could feel her breathing, and she could faintly hear her heartbeat. She was close, and she still smelled like shampoo and mint toothpaste, and she was warm and alive… and made Solo feel safe. That was perhaps the most important thing of all.

It didn’t matter if they had a disagreement, or if something bad happened to one of them tomorrow. Solo cared enough for Piper that she’d never let something drive a wedge between them. Not for a single moment. She’d fight for her if she had to.

Just as the first bite of cold crept under her night-shirt, Piper’s hand moved around her middle, warm and soft. In seconds her body was moulded to Solo’s, sharing her body heat as easily as she shared her heart. Solo could never let another person close to her like this, but Piper was so different. She brought her peace.

Solo strained to switch off the lamp and relaxed into the pillow, sighing, pulling the other woman tighter against her. Piper mumbled something – “’Night, Blue,” – against her skin, and Solo smiled and kissed her forehead.

“Goodnight.”

 ---

They arrived at the Acadia compound by midday, walking with their hands in their pockets and their shoulders hunched against the freezing Fog. Solo had paid Mitch extra to keep their room locked for when they got back. The rest of DiMA’s memories were still in their safe, and Solo had doubted that anyone in Far Harbor was a good enough thief to break into it. She’d been adamant that they only bring the holotape they’d found in Avery’s grave. DiMA might ask for more information than he needed, and if they had it on them, they risked providing him with all the dangerous knowledge he had purposefully locked away. All that mattered now was for him to explain the murder he had committed. Then, they would decide what to do with the other memories.

One step at a time.

Entering the old observatory sent an odd, forewarning chill down the back of Solo’s neck, and she shook it off coldly as she and Piper headed down the corridor towards DiMA and his banks of computers. She was braced for a fight, though something told her that she would soon be facing something very different.

As expected, it seemed almost as if the old synth had been waiting for them; he was browsing through the displays idly but turned the moment he heard their footsteps. Unlike before, Faraday and Chase were nowhere to be seen. DiMA was completely alone, just as Solo wanted him.

“You’ve returned,” he said, pleasantly surprised. “I suppose this means you’ve found something.”

“We did,” Piper replied.

DiMA’s blank eyes and worn plastic face showed no emotion, but Solo still scrutinized him carefully. She took one glance around the observatory, making sure they were alone. Slipping the holotape from Avery’s grave out of her jacket pocket, she held it out to him on her flattened palm, beckoning for him to take it.

“Your memories led us to a grave site,” Solo said smoothly.

DiMA took the holotape from her hand, and she clenched it into a tight fist, lowering it back to her side. She still wasn’t sure what to think – he hadn’t reacted yet. He had made no aggressive moves towards them, nor had he called for Chase and Faraday to back him up. DiMA had absolutely no idea what was going on. Did he still deserve punishment if he didn’t even realize he’d committed the crime?

“You killed Captain Avery and replaced her with a synth,” Solo clarified coldly. “So you could control Far Harbor.”

“What?” DiMA’s face showed true emotion for the first time, his voice fraying at the edges. He lifted a hand to his forehead, and Solo waited patiently for him to speak again. She was determined to do this right, no matter what he’d done or how much humanity he lacked.

The synth left them hovering by the banks of computers, striding quickly over to the mainframe, where he booted the holotape into his system. Solo exchanged a skeptical glance with Piper as he suddenly bent over, clutching his forehead. Piper made a small movement towards him, but Solo touched her arm and shook her head. “Don’t.”

Piper looked like she wanted to argue, but she bowed her head instead and did as she was told.

Finally, after what seemed like minutes of waiting, DiMA straightened up. “I… I did it.”

His tone was shaking with all the emotional tremors and strains of a human voice, but Solo was finding it hard to see past the wires hanging frayed from his elbows, and the peeled-back plastic on the back of his neck. He was a synth, through and through. Would anything ever change that?

She wanted to feel triumphant – euphoric, even – at the sound of his confession. Instead, she only felt more somber. “Go on,” she urged quietly.

DiMA turned from the computers to face them. There was no anger in his expression; instead, he only looked defeated. Solo had come here expecting a fight, but DiMA had proven to her fully that he was not an evil creature. He was lost, remorseful. “I killed a woman from Far Harbor and replaced her. I stripped a synth’s identity from her and made her an agent.”

This time, Piper couldn’t seem to hold her tongue. “Why did you do it?” she demanded angrily.

She stepped forward as she said it, more aggressive than any of them had expected – DiMA even took a step back. She had been much more bothered about the idea of Avery being replaced by a synth than Solo had realized. Piper had spent much of her life fighting against the Institute, worrying that she or someone she knew would be replaced by a synth. DiMA was a criminal she would never let run free; Solo knew, without a doubt, that Piper would not leave Far Harbor until justice had been served.

“I…” DiMA’s machines whirred, and he lowered his head. “I needed to calm Far Harbor. I needed a moderate voice. An example of what humanity should be. How we could exist together as equals. But I couldn’t live with the memories of the blood on my hands. A human and a synth are both gone because of me.”

A human _and_ a synth. Even though he had committed the heinous crime himself, DiMA still saw more than either Piper or Solo had when they had stumbled across Avery’s grave. It wasn’t just a human who was murdered, but a synth as well. And _both_ of them, as citizens of this island, as living beings, deserved justice. Solo had been under the Brotherhood’s command for so long that this new frame of mind was making her feel increasingly liberated. She nodded slowly, trying to figure out what should come next.

Piper, meanwhile, was still glowering at DiMA. “You-”

Solo stepped forward and grabbed Piper’s arm. “Leave it. We’re getting nowhere.”

The reporter glared at her, pulled her arm away, and then stood down with her arms folded across her chest. DiMA just stared at her blankly, eyes whirring, apparently reliving those moments he had chosen to permanently forget. If Solo had woken up this morning with the memory of having killed someone in cold blood… she would feel empty, too. She _had_ felt empty, after killing Shaun. After killing numerous ghouls, scavengers and innocent Institute scientists. The Brotherhood of Steel had made her just as guilty as DiMA was; even worse, they had taught her to make hypocritical decisions. She didn’t want to be a hypocrite anymore.

Solo drew up her spine and straightened her shoulders, levelling DiMA with a calculating look. “Let’s be practical,” she said simply. “How do we proceed from here?”

The synth gazed at her in mild surprise, then understanding. “Y-You’re right. We have to focus on what has to be done now. I’m… starting to see things more clearly. We have to keep this a secret from Far Harbor–”

“Is that what you call justice?” Piper burst out angrily. “Because I sure don’t!”

Solo turned to meet her eyes, hoping to calm her. “Trust me, Pipes.”

“ _Trust_ you? DiMA deserves more than a talking to for what he’s done. Doesn’t even matter if he feels half bad for it!”

“You don’t understand,” DiMA told her, almost pleadingly. “If they knew I had done this, they wouldn’t just destroy me – they’d come after Acadia. And then, without us, the Fog Condensers will eventually fall into disrepair. Everyone will die.”

“But they deserve to know the truth!” Piper countered through clenched teeth. “They’re following a leader they don’t even know is a synth – how long d’you think it’ll take for them to realize she doesn’t age? How long until they charge on Acadia anyway?”

“I can’t say-”

“You did all of it on your own?” Solo cut in loudly. “No one else in Acadia is involved?”

Both the reporter and the synth turned to stare at her. A tense silence stretched out until DiMA finally said, “What I’ve done goes against all of our ideals. I even hid it from myself. So, no, there can’t be anyone else.”

“Then make your case to the people of Far Harbor,” Solo proposed thoughtfully. “Let them decide.”

The glint in Piper’s eyes told Solo that she’d finally understood the path she was taking. The reporter calmed down very suddenly, tucking her hair behind her ears and taking a small step back. At Piper’s acceptance of her decision, Solo felt a rush of relief run through her. Perhaps that was all she’d wanted; a green light from the only person she trusted.

“And if their judgement is to destroy Acadia?” DiMA demanded. “The synths I’ve gathered here are innocent. I’m responsible for them being here.”

Solo shrugged. “You said you wanted human and synth kind to be equal. Well, now you have to prove it. Tell them the truth. Trust that they’ll do the right thing.”

DiMA’s eyes whirred again, as if there were milky-white galaxies of information growing behind the lenses. None of them knew what was going to happen; it was an extraordinarily huge risk to undertake. But Solo wanted to make this right, no matter what. She knew that DiMA did too. It was just as he was about speak that they heard footsteps behind them – Solo glanced back to see Faraday entering the room, clipboard held tightly to his chest. He quite clearly had no idea what was going on.

“You’re right,” DiMA said suddenly. “I… we… can’t be above any other living thing. When something terrible is done, there have to be repercussions.”

He and Faraday exchanged a startled stare before DiMA’s expression hardened.

“I’ll go,” he said firmly. “The people of Far Harbor will have to decide what to do with me. And I will have to hope that Acadia will be spared.”

“ _What?_ ” Faraday’s face had grown paper-pale. “You-you can’t! DiMA, if you go down there, you’re not coming back up!”

“My dear Faraday… you know there’s no other option,” DiMA said calmly, as if he were speaking to his own child.

“DiMA.” Faraday pushed his way past Solo and Piper so he could stand before his leader. He looked distraught. “There are always options. Don’t do this. Don’t… leave.”

A fraying hand reached up to gently touch Faraday’s face – Solo watched thoughtfully as they exchanged yet another wordless gaze.

“If atoning for my actions can keep you safe, well… I care for you all too much to do anything else.”

Faraday shook his head frantically. “DiMA, _please_!”

“Be strong, Faraday. It will be all right.” DiMA stepped around the scientist, ignoring his protests, and nodded grimly at Solo and Piper. “No point in waiting. We should try to arrive at Far Harbor before nightfall. If there is to be an attack on Acadia, they’ll need the night to prepare defenses.”

And then DiMA strode right past them towards the entrance of the observatory, as if he cared too little for goodbyes to hang around. Piper and Solo were left standing awkwardly with Faraday, who looked close to tears.

“He can’t leave,” he murmured in disbelief. “Things will never be the same here without him…”

Piper touched his shoulder lightly, a small token of kindness. “I’m sorry, Faraday. At least DiMA’s doing a good thing – he’s more human than most, you know.”

“I… I know.” Faraday adjusted his glasses, peering down at the clipboard in his hands, and then abruptly turned away from them towards the banks of computers.

Piper retracted her hand but continued to stare after him as he left the two of them alone. Her eyes were filled with a kindness that seemed so innocent and genuine that Solo could hardly match it to the passionate anger she’d seen barely a few minutes ago. Solo reached for her hands, holding them for a second and squeezing reassuringly. Piper smiled faintly at her.

Kindness was sometimes non-existent, yet sometimes it was almost physical. So why didn’t everyone embrace it? Did they all let their cruel nature thrive on purpose? Solo still had yet to discern whether it was just human nature, or if kindness and cruelty were decisions to be made. She had made more cruel choices than kind; Piper, on the other hand, seemed to choose to be kind whenever she had the chance. And DiMA had just chosen to give his own life away for a past cruelty he hadn’t even known he committed. Solo was worried that she had spent too long not even knowing the difference – would she ever be able to make a sacrifice like that? Was it wrong to respect DiMA even more now that he had chosen to walk to his own death?

“You OK?” Piper asked.

“Fine.” Solo shook off the thoughts, squeezing her hands once more before letting go. “We should catch up with DiMA.”

Piper peered at her face, smiling all of a sudden. “You know, a hero is nothing like the comics make them seem.”

“Huh?”

“You don't need any supernatural power or a superhero costume, and you don't need to fight the bad guys. You’re a hero all in yourself, Blue. I appreciate that.”

Solo arched an eyebrow. “You’ve been a hero way longer than I have.”

“I… get too passionate sometimes,” Piper said sheepishly. “What you just did, what you just got DiMA to do… that’s far beyond anything I could’ve achieved.”

“Well, you’re totally welcome.”

Piper sighed at her sarcasm. “Fine. I get it. Random and cheesy, I know – I just wanted to say I _do_ trust you. More than anything.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Solo smiled though, just to show she was joking.

“Are we fighting for Acadia or Far Harbor if everything goes sour?”

Solo paused, a little shaken by Piper’s sudden bout of seriousness. “Neither.”

“But-”

“If a war starts, I’m getting you off this island and back to Diamond City. Back to your sister,” Solo clarified. “You’ve already risked your life enough.”

Piper looked pained, but she nodded anyway. “What about you?”

“Depends. I don’t feel particularly connected to any of the factions on the island. No point in my fighting, either.”

Piper sighed. “I wish we could do something for these people…”

“We’ve done a lot for these people, Pipes. Too much. DiMA is the last card we’re playing, but if that doesn’t work… we have no reason to stick around.”

“So much for being heroes, huh?”

Solo didn’t like Piper looking so sad, so she linked their fingers again and gave her hand a squeeze. “Even heroes know they can’t fight in every war. You and I have to go home someday.”

“I guess we all do.”


	24. The Price of Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DiMA faces his reckoning with the help of Piper and Solo.

DiMA was an extremely silent, solemn travelling companion. He had brought nothing with him on their trip to Far Harbor – no gun, no evidence of his guilt or innocence. Piper watched him curiously as he walked ahead of she and Solo, pace unchanged for the whole journey. No criminal she had ever met had intentionally turned himself in to be punished; none had walked to their death with such purpose. This made her opinion of DiMA very blurry indeed.

They walked relatively fast in order to cover enough ground before reaching Far Harbor. Solo dealt with the feral ghouls and wolves that crossed their path while Piper made sure to keep DiMA out of danger. It wouldn’t do any of them good to have him killed before he even got to turn himself in.

They arrived at dusk; the light had drained away until there was barely enough even for shadows. Even the stars and moon were cowering behind a dense layer of cloud, giving the air that essence Piper associated with the world before a storm. Her ears became sharper and her mind paranoid. Solo seemed to notice how jumpy she was, and – bless her – began to walk much closer beside her. Piper’s fingers wrapped into her hand, feeling how cold her fingers were. When Solo turned to smile at her, a gesture meant to reassure and give confidence, she gave away the worry she meant to mask. Piper didn’t blame her.

The gates were wide open, but DiMA stopped walking before crossing the boundary – he’d probably already noticed the watchmen on the wall notifying the town of his arrival. Everyone would be gathering inside right now, anxious for a peek at the mysterious synth leader from the town up on the hill. Allen would be handing out weapons while the Mariner and Avery would be reassuring everyone that nothing was wrong and they would be all right.

DiMA turned to Solo and Piper with an impassive expression. “I’m gambling the lives of my people that your trust in Far Harbor is not misplaced,” he said calmly.

“We understand,” Piper told him. “Our intention wasn’t to put your people in danger.”

DiMA shifted, glancing at Solo now as well. “I do hope that, regardless of what happens, you will complete what you came here to do. Kasumi is better off at home with her family. This island… is not the place for her to spend the rest of her life, whether she’s synth or human.”

“We won’t leave her here,” Solo said firmly.

“Good.” 

DiMA drew up his skeletal frame and turned away, beginning to walk through the gates. It was evident that any sort of relationship they’d had to him was severed right there. This was his goodbye.

Tentatively, Solo and Piper followed him, stopping once they reached the outskirts of the building crowd. DiMA continued into the middle of the mob where the town’s three leaders were standing: Allen, Avery and the Mariner. A lot of the harbor people were whispering to one another, a few following his movements with hostile glares. His presence was not accepted here, even if it was tolerated on the island.

Piper was jostled by a woman pushing past her, and moved to the side to let her go. She grabbed hold of the edge of Solo’s bomber jacket to steady herself. As the crowd grew hushed, the loud whispering turning to a quiet hum, DiMA turned to face all of them.

“My long walk is over,” he declared loudly.

Captain Avery frowned at him, arms folded as she stood with Allen and the Mariner flanking her. “DiMA, what’s this about?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

He let silence fall once again, and then began, “People of Far Harbor, you know me. We have lived peacefully together for years. We have come to trust each other, in our way.”

The whispering rose a little in volume, a few more people shooting him despising looks. DiMA kept on talking: “But I’ve betrayed that trust, and I’ve kept the truth from all of you.”

Even Captain Avery seemed a little shaken by this. She unfolded her arms and stepped forward. “We’ll need more of an explanation than that."

DiMA nodded slowly. “Early on during Acadia’s founding, I murdered one of your own. I replaced them with one of mine.”

The uproar for this was even more shocking – there were gasps and angry shouts, several more people jostling towards the front. Piper gripped Solo’s jacket tighter, exchanging an anxious glance with her. Solo had said she didn’t feel allied to either of these factions… but surely they would both care if one of them was wiped out? These were people who had helped them and accepted them.

“What?” Captain Avery snapped. “ _Who?_ ”

DiMA hesitated, seeming to notice that the crowd was already closing in on him. “The identity of my… agent must stay hidden. They are as much a victim in this as anyone. They will do you no further harm. I am the only one to blame.”

Surprising Piper, Solo lifted a hand to her mouth and called, “Go on, DiMA.”

Most of the crowd turned to stare at them, and then began to part ever-so-slightly to let them through. Solo took Piper’s hand and pulled her towards the middle of the circle, nodding a greeting to Captain Avery. “DiMA’s actions were deeply misguided,” she explained. “But he did them for the greater good.”

Piper glanced at her, yet again surprised by her words. The synth made eye contact with Solo and bowed his head imperceptibly, almost in a thank you. “I know that’s no comfort to the person whose life I took…”

“Not exactly the first person to do something evil and say it was for the greater good,” Piper pointed out snidely. She felt Solo squeeze her hand hard in warning and quickly bit her tongue. Right, right… they were meant to be serving justice, not making the town want to kill him and storm on Acadia. Sometimes she just couldn’t help herself.

The Captain stared at the two of them with a suspicious look in her eye, but eventually nodded her acceptance. “I trust you, outsider. You’ve helped us enough that you deserve the benefit of the doubt.”

“Avery-!” Allen snapped.

She silenced him with a wave of her hand. “Go on then, DiMA,” she said coolly.

The synth faced the crowd again. “I wanted to prove that humanity and synth could co-exist. That we did not have to fear each other. But I went too far. I see that now…” He glanced around at the furious, anxious faces of the harborpeople, the tubes and wires jutting from his skin glimmering like precious metal in the streetlights. “I only ask that you judge me, and not what we’ve built together. Allow the peace between Far Harbor and Acadia to last beyond this.”

“Peace?” Allen demanded angrily. “You call murdering one of ours ‘ _peace_ ’?”

There was a loud murmuring of agreement from the general crowd around them, and Piper swallowed anxiously. This was not going well.

Stepping forward and raising his rifle, Allen growled, “I say we end this bastard and then burn his whole damned Acadia to the ground!”

DiMA physically shrunk back as there were several cheers and the mob of angry people surged forward, closing in on him. Solo and Piper drew together, refusing to let the people behind them move any closer to the synth.

“Allen, enough!” Captain Avery snapped, a hand slapping his chest and forcing him backwards. A tense silence ensued. “DiMA will pay for his crime, but not Acadia. This path you want leads to murder. Cold-blooded murder.”

“We leave them be and we’ll never know if they’re killing and replacing us one by one!” Allen countered, seething. “No, we kill every last one of them just to be sure. Who’s with me?”

There were even more cheers this time, harborpeople raising their weapons and fists into the air. Piper glowered at the man, wanting to step forward and join in with the argument, but she knew she was severely overestimating the effect she would have on him. He was no better than High Confessor Tektus; no better than Maxson, of the Brotherhood. He was no better than the leaders of the Institute, who killed so many just because they had the power to. Piper didn’t care what Solo had told her – all of a sudden, she had _a lot_ of investment in Acadia. If this war began, she would protect those synths at all costs. If anything, her time spent in Far Harbor had taught her that the synths had never been to blame for much of the fear and paranoia in the Commonwealth – it was the people who made and exploited them who should be feared. The synths themselves were as innocent and scared as newborn children.

DiMA had come here to turn himself in; he’d chosen to let these people have their justice. If they were to ruin it all by marching on Acadia tonight… Piper wouldn’t have it. She wouldn’t let it happen.

As the crowd continued to cheer and shout, Solo suddenly let go of Piper’s hand and took a step into the circle. Allen turned to look at her in surprise, and so did everybody else.

In a cold, cutting voice, she said, “Every time you open your damn mouth, Allen, the whole town suffers. Shut up.”

His face twisted, caught half between anger and shock. “Wha… you – I ought to-”

“I’ve been wanting to say that since we first met the guy,” Piper agreed, backing her up immediately with a pleased smile.

A blond woman with close-cropped hair sneered at them and called, “Don’t listen to the mainlanders! My brother knows what we’ve got to do!”

“They’re not even one of us!” another harborman yelled in agreement.

Just as Piper was about to sneer back, the tables seemed to turn very suddenly. The Mariner stepped up to join them, a grim expression on her face. “See the hull?” she said loudly. “That’s thanks to the mainlander. A true friend of Far Harbor.”

The town’s doctor stepped out of the crowd too, and Piper caught a short glance of respect shared between him and Solo before he turned to face his people. “You going to listen to Allen’s hate-mongerin’?” he called out to the mob. “You even remember who did the Captain’s Dance?”

Piper glanced at Solo interestedly. “The Captain’s what, now?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Solo said quietly. “Later.”

“Mainlander cleared my farm! Avenged my family!” an old woman added, also stepping forward. “More than the rest of you ever did for me.”

She also nodded towards Solo, a small gesture of respect.

“Yeah!” a small girl agreed. She was standing beside the old woman, arms across her chest. “What’s Allen ever done? Cause trouble. Remember who cleared the Lumber Mill! Remember who’s given us a new chance to take back our island!”

A dirty-faced man in a checkered shirt and suspenders, standing far at the back of the crowd, shouted, “I owe my life to the stranger! We should listen _now_.”

Even Mitch, with a righteous glare on his face, called, “My uncle’s safe and alive! The strangers have _always_ steered us right!”

Those who had cheered for Allen before were now muttering and anxious, having lowered their weapons. Piper could see, all of a sudden, how many people in this crowd owed something to Solo. She knew she shouldn’t be surprised – after all, Solo had said she’d be helping out the town while Piper was undercover in the Nucleus – but there was something so awe-inspiring about all these people vouching for her that made Piper feel… proud. _Very_ proud.

She grinned up at Solo, but the woman only shrugged. “What? I’m a hero, remember?”

Piper said nothing, simply brimming with delight.

Allen raised his hands, face having grown red beneath the bristles of his beard. “Enough!” he shouted. “I’ll… back down.”

Captain Avery, with an almost smug smile on her face, finally took control of the crowd. Everyone quietened down to listen. “Allen… the Harbor’s spoken, so this ends here. DiMA?”

The synth, who had not moved since the crowd had begun arguing, turned to face her. “Yes?”

“Murder’s a serious crime. There’s only the one punishment for it. If you have any last words… now’s the time.”

Piper had wanted to hear something grand and poetic, something that left them with hope, or with pity. She didn’t want to feel sad once DiMA was dead, because she still wasn’t sure what she thought of him. And she only ever wanted justice to be a happy thing.

But all he did was turn to the crowd, eyes travelling over all the faces there staring back at him, and murmur, “I’m sorry…”

And then he kneeled down with the back of his head bared, palms pressed to the planks, eyes leveled on the sea in the distance. A synth – no, a _man_ – who was prepared for death. Perhaps he was thinking about how he was made, or about his brother Valentine, who he would never see again. Perhaps he was only thinking about how much he regretted.

In the half light of the alley, he appeared small. The weak illumination that casted his face into semi-relief wasn't romantic moonlight, but instead it faltered as old neon signs and flickering streetlights did. He peered upwards at Avery, strange blank eyes lingering on her. Piper could hear the audience of harborpeople take an extended breath. Mostly, Piper preferred not to think about the people she killed, but when she did it was as if they were dead already. Everyone has to die at some point, and she considered it a good way to go. No illness, no drawn-out goodbyes. They were just happy and oblivious one second and gone the next.

This was different. She felt the like the whole world was watching, waiting for it. And despite every terrible thing she’d seen in her life, she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to watch this.

Captain Avery turned to Allen, holding out a hand, and he quickly passed over his rifle. She levelled it at DiMA’s head, at the precious circuits and wires which could be seen through the plastic skin.

Was it lost on all of them, the fact that he had actually come here to let them kill him? Should Piper and Solo have agreed to keep it a secret? Piper glanced up at the other woman momentarily, but Solo’s face was completely devoid of emotion, and her grey eyes were pale and focused on DiMA – nothing else. She was distant.

The shot came without warning, perhaps so he wouldn’t be expecting his own death. DiMA’s body crumpled onto the boardwalk, twitching several times before growing still, more like a ragdoll than a robot. Of course, there was no blood. No brains or flecks of bone being sprayed out over the wood. But it still seemed just as brutal as any other death. Piper even felt herself flinch at the abruptness of it, thinking about all the synths back at Acadia and feeling thankful that they didn’t have to witness it.

Solo was still stiff, but her arm came around Piper, hugging her into her side, and she struggled to keep a straight face as an odd wave of grief overcame her for the synth leader.

Captain Avery sighed, handing the rifle back to Allen. Surprisingly, the whole town seemed just as shaken by DiMA’s death as Piper was. Everyone was subdued now, staring down at the synth’s dead body.

“Every homestead, town and people has a dark side,” Captain Avery declared. “But if we’re ever to know peace, we don’t let the worst of us define us.”

A few people at the back of the crowd had already turned away, returning to their homes and their stations. They probably wouldn’t lose much sleep tonight; why should the death of some synth affect them?

“Justice has been done,” Avery continued. “And I expect everyone to respect the peace between us and Acadia.”

There was a slight murmur of agreement from most of the harborpeople, and then they fanned out and began trailing away from DiMA’s corpse. Even the Mariner and Allen returned to their homes, leaving Solo and Piper with Captain Avery in the middle of the boardwalk. She had her hands on her hips, gazing down at DiMA’s body with an expression of pity. As Solo and Piper approached her, she smiled faintly.

“Thank you for your honesty today,” she told them. “I know you must have convinced DiMA to turn himself in. As usual, your kindness to this town is... overwhelming.”

“We suggested it, but he made the decision,” Piper corrected her. “It was DiMA’s plan, through and through.”

Captain Avery nodded, gazing down at him again. “I’ll have his body sent back to Acadia, or… perhaps someone could come and collect it? If anything, he deserves a burial worthy of the courage and integrity he showed us.”

“We can send someone when we return to Acadia,” Solo said simply.

“All right.”

They all stared down at DiMA for a little while longer, and then Avery called some fishermen over to help her carry his body into the entrance building for safe-keeping. Piper and Solo said their goodbyes, and then silently made their way over to the Last Plank. It was early enough in the evening that plenty of the harbor people were in here drinking and chatting – a few even celebrating DiMA’s death. Solo and Piper bypassed all of them, collecting their room key from Mitch. They trundled upstairs, avoiding a few drunks, and entered their room before locking the door twice behind them.

Solo sat down very carefully on her bed, and Piper walked over to the window so she could stare out at the waves.

“So… DiMA is dead.”

“Uh-huh.”

Solo sighed, and began untying her laces and pulling off her boots. She unzipped her jacket as well, hanging it over the end of her bed. Piper stayed by the window, eyes fixed on the waves outside. She felt too cold and too shaken to even try taking her press cap off.

“You gonna be okay?” Solo asked.

“Oh, yeah. Fine,” Piper replied with false enthusiasm. “I think the experience just hit a little close to home, you know? There’s been plenty of executions in Diamond City, but I’ve always felt _right_ about them…”

“Come here,” Solo said softly.

Piper turned away from the window and walked over to her. She stood still as Solo reached up and pulled at the belt of her coat, untying it before she started on the buttons as well. She pulled it from Piper’s shoulders and tossed it to the side, and then placed her hands on her hips, gazing up at her. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“It’s not a huge deal," Piper said quickly. "I’m just wondering if DiMA actually… deserved to be executed. You know?”

Solo shrugged. “That’s just what we have to tell ourselves, isn’t it?”

“I don’t want to hurt people, Blue. You know me – I live for the truth, for justice. But I feel like it never works out the way I expect it to.”

“Ah.” Solo smiled and pulled Piper down onto the mattress beside her. After pressing a soft kiss to her cheek, she plucked the press cap from her head and placed it on the nightstand. “Well, I learned about justice in law school. It varies from person to person, and you can’t always get it right.” She closed her eyes momentarily, as if recalling some distant memory. “I think one of my professors once said, ‘a world without justice is a world in which people suffer and where the law of the jungle will prevail… such a world belongs to the strong, to the power, to money, to greed. Justice is necessary to civil society.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, it’s a mouthful.” Solo reached to untie her scarf as well, gently pulling it from her neck, letting the fabric brush softly against her skin. “I think it doesn’t matter if _we_ did the right thing. DiMA did the right thing, and that’s all I care about.”

“Who d’you think will lead Acadia now he’s gone?”

“Either Chase or Faraday.” Solo shrugged again. “We’ll find out when we go back to collect Kasumi.”

“And then we’ll go home,” Piper said, a little surprised at her own realization.

“Exactly.”

Piper hesitated. “But what if the problems aren’t solved? I mean… there’s still the Children of Atom, right? There’s still-” Solo sighed loudly, making her cut herself off and sit back sheepishly. “…Sorry.”

“Pipes, we don’t need to be part of this anymore. In fact, I’m sure we can give DiMA’s memories to someone else now and let them deal with it. Don’t you _want_ to go back to Nat?”

“Of course I do.” Piper suddenly found it very hard to meet Solo’s eyes. “Maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

“Maybe I’m more worried about you and I.”

Solo sat back, staring at her. Those grey eyes were as unreadable as ever.

Feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, Piper shifted so she could reach down to untie her laces, needing something to do. When she’d pulled both boots off, she said, “We don’t have to think about it until it happens. Obviously. But-”

“Now’s a good time.” Solo scratched her head, looking uncomfortable. “I’ve been trying not to think about it...”

“Is it too soon to say I really want you around?” Piper burst out. “As in, all the time?”

Solo’s smile was bright, pleased. “No, it’s not.”

“Good. Because I do.” For once, Piper couldn’t feel her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. She didn’t feel like her emotions made her stupid; not anymore. “If that means I just follow you everywhere you go, that’s probably what I’ll do. I’m… fine with that.”

“I know better than to take you away from Nat again,” Solo declined pointedly.

“Oh. Heh. Good point.” Piper couldn’t hide the fact that she was disappointed, though. She turned away. “So what happens, then?”

“I’ll have to leave the Brotherhood, first. Hand in my notice, my title – everything. And then... maybe I can buy a place in Diamond City.”

Piper stared at her, eyes widening. “You’d do that?”

“This is the first time I’ve had the incentive to settle down,” Solo said with a smile. “I don’t feel as lost as I used to. Thanks to this adventure, and thanks to you, I actually feel… happy.”

When their eyes locked, Solo’s eyes burned Piper’s like she’d been staring at the sun for too long. She blinked to hide how overwhelmed she felt and said, “Guess that means we can fight for justice together.”

“I’ll sign on as Valentine’s partner,” Solo said, warming to the idea. “Take a few cases in the Commonwealth and earn some caps. Help people. Maybe I can even join forces with the Minutemen.”

Piper took her hand and smiled delightedly. “We'll make something of the Commonwealth yet, Blue.”

“Yeah, well, we need to get off this damn island first.”

Solo leaned in to kiss her without warning, cupping her face in both hands, and then surprised her by running her tongue along her bottom lip. Piper genuinely felt like she’d been electrocuted when the other woman pulled away with a grin, and quickly pulled her back in for more, dragging her further onto the bed.

No matter the distance between them, Piper’s attraction to Solo remained constant. She had been learning slowly how completely infatuated she was with this woman. And how happy she was that she wouldn’t have to say goodbye.

A burst of anxiety hit her like a slap to the face, and she almost stopped kissing Solo to deal with it. But she didn’t. She didn’t want to pull away and meet Solo’s eyes, because if she did, she might find herself at the mercy of a questioning look, and she wasn’t at liberty to give an answer because she simply didn’t know.

_Do I love you?_

She couldn’t form an answer with her lips because she was so focused on Solo’s. Piper had never fallen for someone before; she didn’t even know what it was supposed to feel like. How could it be that she hadn't seen her feelings for what they had been before? Pure. Unselfish. Undemanding. Free.

Piper’s face warmed as Solo crept closer and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Yes, she’d fallen hard. _Oh God_. _So hard._  When this was all over, she’d just have to hope that Solo had fallen for her, too. And if she hadn’t… that Piper would be able to get over it quickly and move on.

Piper wasn’t very good at keeping things from Solo. How long would it be until she was just blurting out a heartfelt confession and embarrassing herself?


	25. End of the Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solo and Piper are grateful to be reaching the end of their Far Harbor journey. They think the island is letting them go, and they can return home with Kasumi by their side, with plenty of stories to tell when they get there.  
> But it's not over yet. Not by a long shot.  
> And Piper happens to be struggling with something that Solo is unlikely to understand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a super long chapter compared to the others I've written, mainly to make up for the fact that the updates are coming so slowly now. Just a few more chapters left, but I promise they're packed with plenty of action and fluff! Hopefully I can get this whole story finished before my final exams, so you won't all be left on a painful cliffhanger. That's my aim, anyway...  
> Enjoy!

Solo had to shake off the delirious, warm feeling of sleep as she cracked open her eyes and peered around the room. One second she had been fast asleep, and the next she was suddenly wide awake, as if someone had jolted her with a livewire. The etching sound that lightly danced near the bedroom window made her relax instantly, and she rolled over to peer across the sunlit room, already imaging that Piper was hard at work.

The other woman was completely oblivious to her attention, scribbling down line after line of creativity, bottom lip caught between her teeth and dark eyebrows drawn close in concentration. She was wearing dark trousers and a shirt which Solo thought had unnecessarily long sleeves; she had to roll them up to the wrists to avoid having them constantly in the way of her fingers. Some random act of inspiration must have made her decide to pull her press cap on, too, because it was perched on her head like she’d started getting dressed in the wrong order and then given up halfway. Solo’s eyes drifted to the nightstand, where she saw an ashtray filled with a couple of cigarette butts, one of them still glowing an indistinct orange.

“How long have you been awake?”

Piper glanced up, almost in surprise, but then smiled her impossibly bright, kind smile that made Solo feel warm inside. She lowered the notebook and pen and stretched out her legs. “Couple hours.”

When Solo sighed and rolled onto her back again to stare at the ceiling, Piper placed her notebook on the bed beside her and stood up, blowing away some of the ashes on the nightstand before climbing onto Solo’s mattress. Instantly welcoming, Solo lifted an arm to tuck it around the other woman’s shoulders. Piper hugged her waist, settling against her, and they fell into a deep, comfortable silence. It wouldn’t be long until they were on the move again, this time aiming to leave the island for good, so Solo wanted to soak as much of this feeling in as possible.

“I could get used to this,” Piper remarked after a second.

“Me too.” Solo realized the implications of what she’d said after she’d said it, but didn’t want to take the words back. She _could_ get used to this. Whether or not she was ready to be close enough to someone to want to be around them like this all the time, she couldn’t deny that she liked having Piper close. She loved to touch her – not necessarily in a sexual way; never anywhere other than her face, her hands, her warm black hair that fell in slightly curled locks. And despite the heaviness in her stomach after all that had happened, it fluttered at the feeling of Piper’s body pressed up against her. She just wanted it to continue, no matter what that meant.

“Can you imagine being home in two days?” Solo asked, curiously brushing at a lock of Piper’s hair so she could see her face better. “You’ll be back with Nat.”

She felt Piper’s smile against her shoulder. “Pretty hard to imagine,” she mumbled.

“And Kasumi will be home, too.” This, more than anything else, left Solo with a deep sense of satisfaction. After all they had done on the island, DiMA’s death the day before had almost seemed anti-climactic. It was over; Far Harbor and Acadia were at peace. The Children of Atom… well, they were still an issue. But as long as it wasn’t all three of them pitted against each other, there was less chance of a full-blown war.

The case which they had set out to solve would soon be complete. Once they returned to Diamond City, they’d have _plenty_ to tell Valentine…

“Do we have to go today?” Piper finally shifted to look up at her imploringly.

“Yes,” Solo said firmly.

Piper sighed. “Fine. Maybe… we can lay in bed a little longer, though.”

Solo studied her, trying to decide what it was that made Piper so hesitant to leave the island. Hadn’t they been through enough? Didn’t she want to get out of here as fast as possible?

A beam of light from the fogged up window slanted across Piper’s freckled cheek and made one hazel eye glow like the leaves in the Fall – those were the same colours she remembered from the day the bombs fell. Just the memory of that beautiful day in October, hardly a couple of hours before she lost everything, made Solo’s throat close up all of a sudden. She glanced away and sat up.

“Blue?” Piper sounded a little confused.

“No.” Solo climbed over her and stood up, grabbing her Pip-Boy off the nightstand so she could slip it back onto her wrist. “We should go. It’s already late.”

Piper sighed her disappointment, and Solo couldn’t help but notice she looked a little hurt by her brusqueness. After a moment’s hesitation, she leaned in to press a quick kiss to her cheek, and then sat beside her and began lacing up her boots. “I’m… a little impatient.”

“I’ve noticed,” Piper sighed. She stood and walked over to her own bed to begin pulling on her coat, her movements rigid. Solo had no idea what was up with her; had there been this sort of disagreement before? Things had always been… casual.

Once they were both fully dressed, they began packing up everything that had been left in the room over the last few days. Solo had gone over the plan with Piper last night, before they went to sleep. Before heading to Acadia, they needed to search the locations from DiMA’s other memories – collect the nuclear launch key and the wind farm kill switch code – and ensure they were safely kept. Solo would have been glad to leave the island without securing them, believing no one would manage to stumble across them without having heard the memories themselves. But Piper had been adamant that they do the right thing, as always.

With everything packed up secure and tight in her bag, Solo strapped it over her shoulders, slung her Gatling laser across her body, and donned her grey knit-cap. Piper was still packing her last few items, having declined Solo’s offer to help. Unsure of how to deal with her suddenly unsavory mood, Solo hung by the window and stared out at the sea while she waited. It was a cold, grey day today; despite the rare peek of sun from behind the clouds, even the mutant gulls were nowhere to be seen.

Finally, there was a huff as Piper yanked her bag onto her shoulders. She headed to the door without waiting, apparently now impatient herself, and Solo rolled her eyes before following. She wouldn’t ask what the problem was; not yet. Maybe when they were on the ship on the way back to Diamond City.

 ---

Breaking into a hotel and unlocking a secret room to find the nuclear launch key happened to be the easier of the two short missions they had to undertake. The Harbor Grand Hotel had been swarmed with super mutants, but Piper and Solo had gone up against the likes of them before. This time, they also happened to be motivated by the fact they would be returning home soon. Even a couple angry green monsters couldn’t stop them. They completed their extermination with the help of most of their grenades and then broke through the entrance of the hotel.

After searching the entire building, they finally came across a keypad hidden next to a bookcase on the second floor. After typing in the code which had been in DiMA’s memory, they were let into a small secluded room. While Piper examined the skeletal remains lying on the bed, Solo hacked into the wall terminal and retrieved the launch key. It was already past midday at this point, and they had been hoping to reach Acadia by night. After burning the code on the terminal onto a spare holotape, they left the hotel quickly, hoping to speed up as they came across the kill switch code.

Unfortunately, Solo realized too late that this meant heading in the opposite direction to Acadia. They certainly wouldn’t reach there by nightfall; therefore, they would not be leaving the island by the morning after all. Even though Piper, too, hadn’t recognized the flaw in their plan, and despite her hesitance overall to leave the island, she still reacted with righteous irritation and spent most of their journey in broody silence. More curious even than Piper’s bad mood was the way she kept on glancing over at Solo every once in a while, as if to search her face, or to make sure she was still there. And she put slight distance between them – more distance than they’d had between them since they were little more than friends. Solo didn’t like it, but she didn’t push her to speak or share her feelings; she’d never been good at such a thing. Instead, she let her stay quiet and focused on the Fog around them.

But Piper’s odd mood only seemed to get worse the longer the silence remained between them. Several times throughout their trip, she lit up a cigarette – she had never used to smoke in front of Solo, either because she knew it was a bad habit and she sensed her traveling partner wouldn’t approve, or because she didn’t want to share – and smoked it right down to her fingertips. Then, to keep herself occupied, she would chew on gum or play with the straps on her gloves. She was fidgety, and quiet, and so un-Piper like that Solo was really starting to feel quite worried. Still, though, she said nothing.

The swampland, once they reached it, was very thick with Fog. Solo was careful to examine the glowing plants before they ventured inside, hoping they wouldn’t be Anglers disguising themselves as native flora. The water and mud squelched beneath their feet, soaking through their shoes and making both of them grimace in disgust. The faint buzzing and gurgling of creatures hiding in the Fog had them both on edge; for once, Piper stuck much closer, often resting a hand on her arm or pressing against her.

Solo stopped walking once they came out on the top of rocky outcrop, seeing a lake stretching out below through a break in the Fog. The lake was speckled with little islands, eventually opening out into the sea beyond. If they’d had a ship, they could just sail out of here and leave everything else behind.

“How far?” Piper asked.

“You should wait here,” Solo said in reply, ignoring her question. She took off her bag and placed it on the rocks beside her. Piper stared at her.

“What? Why?”

“I can already see things moving down there. Better I go in alone, get the kill switch code, and you back me up if I need you to.”

Piper’s eyes narrowed. “I’m coming with you.”

Sighing, Solo checked the chamber of her Gatling laser, filled her pockets with more ammunition and the last fragmentation grenade. Quietly, she muttered, “You’re not acting like yourself, Pipes.”

The reporter started, and then crossed her arms. “What d’you mean?” she asked stubbornly.

“Never mind.” Solo nodded her head towards her bag. “I really need you to stay here and watch that. Be back in a bit.”

Piper made to argue, but Solo was already squeezing her shoulder and pushing past her, beginning to climb her way over the rocks towards the swamps below. To her relief, she heard no footsteps behind her, realizing Piper had actually listened for once. Truthfully, she had only seen one creature moving around in the Fog, and she was certain it was large enough to kill both of them if they got in its way. She needed stealth and silence, both of which weren’t Piper’s strong suits.

She made her way down the side of the outcrop, stopping by the water so she could check the coordinates on her Pip-Boy. According to DiMA’s memory, the kill switch key was located on the furthest island, right where the lake met the sea. Solo could see it from here, but she’d have to do quite some swimming in order to get to it.

After a short moment of thought, she made a rash decision – she set down her Gatling laser and began unbuckling her armor. It was much too heavy for a swim, and she didn’t want to get dragged down if she happened to be chased. She placed all of the armor down on the shore, folded neatly, and then left her Gatling laser and her pistol beside it. Wouldn’t do to have her weapons filled with water. After a quick glance up at the outcrop, she saw Piper watching her nervously, hands in her pockets. Could she see what Solo was doing? Hopefully not.

Solo took a deep breath, pulling her knit-cap further down over her hair, and then steadily made her way into the water. The Fog was thick and heavy in her throat, and the water made her skin numb where it touched her. She was eventually in up to her chest, her muscles aching from the cold, and paused as she saw that same giant shape ahead of her. From above, it had looked about the size of a Deathclaw, maybe larger. She didn’t want anything to do with it, so she held her breath and waited until it passed on.

Solo began to swim, smoothly breast-stroking her way towards the closest piece of land, peering through the Fog. Once she felt land beneath her boots again, she stood and waded onshore, heart beating hard in her chest as she glanced around her. She had no weapons on her save the knives in her boots, and while she had once been crazy enough to head into battle much like this, she certainly wasn’t looking for trouble now. Solo crossed the small island and, again checking her Pip-Boy, entered the water again. She didn’t want to have to swim the whole way, so hopping from island to island would have to do. Soon enough, as she closed in on her target, she found herself shivering uncontrollably from the cold. There were spare clothes to keep her warm, for sure, but they were back onshore with Piper. Back where she’d left her armor and weapons.

Solo kept swimming despite the cold and her worry, eventually finding her feet steady on the small circle of land she had wanted. She waded onshore, breathing heavily, and kicked out her feet and arms to warm them up. After a quick glance over her shoulder, she realized she couldn’t see Piper at all – the Fog had closed up again, suffocating her. She could almost be on another planet entirely.

Solo passed an old, skeletal tree, and then checked her Pip-Boy one last time. Yes, her treasure was here. She grabbed as flat a stick as she could find and then knelt on the silty ground, beginning to dig. It was hard work with her hands so numb, but she kept at it without pause. The sky was darkening all around her, the Fog beginning to make her feel like she was trapped in some sort of cage. Finally, she felt her stick strike something solid, and used her hands to lever the toolbox out of the sand, grains lodging beneath her nails. When she opened the box, she was pleased to see the holotape was safe and unaffected. It was only now that she realized she would somehow have to get it back to shore without getting it wet.

After a short moment’s thought, Solo shoved the code back into the toolbox and locked it, picking it up under one arm. If anything, the box was leak-proof enough to keep it safe while she was swimming. Again, she waded into the freezing water and began to swim, sensing the finish line in the distance and hoping Piper would have had enough to sense to be waiting with warm clothes for her. She was only using one arm this time, so she was swimming much slower; it took much too long for her to notice the sound behind her. Of moving water.

Solo’s pulse spiked, and she instantly began to swim faster, gasping for air as she came up to one of the other islands and stumbled onshore, already yanking one knife out of her boot as she spun to face her adversary. It had glowing protrusions on the top of its head; Solo knew instantly that it was an Angler. Before it could fully exit the water and begin flinging fire at her, she lunged fast and hard. Her knife struck the protrusions themselves, severing them from its head, and there was a wickedly loud screech as the beast tore at her with its teeth. She stumbled just short of a fatal injury, but felt flesh being stripped from her arm. Gasping and holding it close to her chest, Solo stabbed at the beast again. And again.

The knife struck both its eyes, its neck, its claws. Finally, it slowed and collapsed, gurgling into the water, and Solo winced and stepped back towards where she’d dropped the toolbox. Picking it up, she instantly began moving again, refusing to look at the wound on her arm. Now that she had two useless arms, she could merely tread water, and was moving even slower. That Angler seemed to have called all attention to her, because now it was as if the Fog around her was awake with sounds. As she swam, she expected claws or teeth to strike her back, tentacles to yank her under the surface and drown her, poison to splatter her from above. But she reached the next island without being attacked. And then she swam to the next, shivering and bleeding, gasping for air above the surface of the water.

It was when she was about to cross the last stretch of water that the one beast she had been trying to avoid seemed to sense her presence. There was a low, prolonged screeching noise, and she turned automatically to see what it was.

The thing was half in the water behind her, apparently tasting her blood – a great, hulking armored shape with many legs and claws, like a Queen Mirelurk that had been morphed into another creature entirely. It let out another watery hiss and a screech, and Solo began swimming with her injured arm now, as fast as she could as she made her escape. Once she reached land, she had her Gatling laser. She had her grenade. She had her pistol. She just needed to make it there…

Something sharp struck her foot hard, and she almost swallowed water as she floundered for a little bit, struggling to keep afloat. It was definitely close behind her. She flung the toolbox as hard as she could towards the shore, hearing it clatter and bounce over the pebbles, and then used both her arms to stroke hard and fast towards safety. Her foot and arm were throbbing in agony, but she was adamant that she make it and get home tomorrow; she wouldn’t die here. She wouldn’t die, she realized, anywhere else other than by Piper’s side.

Finally, her knees struck rough ground, and she threw herself at her neatly folded armor, hands grasping the Gatling laser as she turned to face the creature. It reared and hissed, so close that she could see the rivulets of water running through the breaks in its armor. The laser fired up.

A roar was all that reached her ears as the lasers tore through its armor, piercing its body in a hundred different places. She kept on shuffling back as she fired, using her uninjured leg to push herself further from the creature in case it struck out. The Gatling laser jumped in her hands, suddenly out of energy, and she tossed it aside desperately. The grenade was what she reached for next, pulling the pin without hesitation and tossing it directly at the creature’s tangle of armored legs. Again it screeched, apparently too injured already to move, and then the explosion drowned out its cries and every other noise; Solo threw an arm over her face and rolled backwards.

Finally, there was silence. She dropped her arm and laid back to stare up at the Fog, trying to catch her breath back. Only when she heard the rapid footsteps on rock and a familiar “Blue!” in the distance did she force herself to her feet and try to pretend that she was fine. But she stumbled anyway, and finally caught sight of both her arm and her foot – both were bleeding enough that she could hardly see the wounds. A couple stimpacks, however, and she’d be right as rain. Piper ran up, eyes wide with worry and… something that looked a lot like fear. Solo made her pause, holding out a hand, and said, “I’m fine, I promise. Just got caught on my swim back.”

“Don't you ever try and pull something like that again!” Piper said a little tearfully, throwing her arms around Solo’s neck. Solo held her, hands at her waist, and let out a relieved sigh. Turning her head slightly, she delivered a soft kiss to Piper’s cheek.

“I’m fine,” she repeated.

“I know.” Piper pulled back to scowl at her. “You got a death wish or something, Blue?”

“As always, I was being a hero.”

“Well, _stop_.”

Solo finally smiled, and then nodded past her at the toolbox. “I got the code. We can go now.”

Piper’s gentle hands touched her arm, and then her face. “You’re shivering.”

“I’ll change quickly, grab a few stimpacks.”

But then Piper reached up to kiss her, and Solo found she felt warm anyway, forgetting the pain in her arm and foot instantly. The kisses were always quite gentle, and Solo was used to the comfort they gave her. When Piper pulled away, she looked a little flustered, and lowered her eyes. “Let’s go.”

Solo followed her back up the rocks, limping a little, and then sat still while the other woman injected her with several stimpacks. While Piper was trying to get a fire going afterwards, Solo pulled off her wet BOS uniform. She stood there in her underwear for a moment, freezing beyond belief, examining her own body.

“Uh, Blue. You chilly? It seems chilly.” Piper sounded typically awkward, and Solo turned to smirk at her. The other woman instantly averted her eyes, as if she were embarrassed or trying to be polite. Considering the amount of cuddling and kissing they had done so far, Solo found this just as odd as her attitude earlier.

“Sorry. I’ll put some pants on.” She pulled on her jeans and a t-shirt, and then began strapping the armor back on over it. Hopefully she’d be able to have the uniform mended and dried once they returned to Far Harbor the next day. Or maybe this marked the end of it – all her connections to the Brotherhood. Maybe she didn’t need or want that uniform anymore.

She sat by the fire once she was done. Night had fallen completely now, and they had both simultaneously made the decision to stay here overnight. Solo and Piper ate cans of cram, neither of them willing to cook. And then, once they unrolled their sleeping bags, they curled up together inside of them. Piper rested her head against Solo’s shoulder and seemed to relax, deep in thought. Solo, for her part, already felt her eyelids drooping. In hardly a few minutes, warm and healing, she was drifting off to sleep.

 ---

They arrived at Acadia by late morning. Neither of them were entirely sure what to expect, but Solo was quite impressed to see that there were many more settlers outside the observatory – it was as if people from Far Harbor or elsewhere on the island had come here to stay. Was this a sign of peace? She would have remarked about it to Piper, but the other woman still seemed to be in the same odd mood from yesterday. As before, she stayed silent and brooding on their journey back.

They entered the observatory, finding it unchanged on the inside – in fact, they even found Faraday working at the computer banks as usual. As if he expected DiMA to come back any second. But he glanced up at them with a spark of wariness and taciturnity in his eyes, and Solo knew he was aware of DiMA’s fate.

“You’re back,” was all he said.

“We came to see Kasumi,” Piper told him. “Also, to tell you that Captain Avery wants you to have a proper burial for DiMA – you should… you know, collect his-”

“Yes,” Faraday interrupted. He glanced behind him, and Solo noticed for the first time that Chase was there, too, listening to their conversation idly. She stepped forward.

“I can send someone tomorrow to collect his body,” she said. Her dark eyes glanced between them. “I’ve heard that there is peace between Acadia and Far Harbor – _real_ peace.”

“That’s what we hoped for,” Solo said.

“We expected them to kill DiMA and come after us,” Chase continued. She walked over, hands in the pockets of her Courser uniform, scrutinizing them even more closely. “I hear it was you who stopped them.”

Solo glanced quickly at Piper, and then muttered, “We wanted justice, not brutality.”

Chase nodded. “I suppose we’re on the same page, then.” After a few seconds of looking Solo over, curiously, she smiled and added, “I was voted in as leader now that he’s gone.”

“That’s… good.”

“There’s a problem.” She glanced at Faraday, and he nodded reassurance. “We’ve heard that the Children of Atom are growing ever more spiteful under Tektus’s command. They got into the command center, you know, but they found the computers wiped clean.”

“We didn’t want to leave anything behind,” Solo said mildly.

 “What’s the problem, exactly?” Piper asked.

Chase only smiled again, this time stiffly. “The Children believe it was us who stole the memories. I wouldn’t be surprised if they know the spy was you.”

Both Solo and Piper froze, a little surprised. What did this mean?

“They think we’ve stolen what’s theirs,” Faraday cut in. “It won’t be long until they’re driven to attack.”

Solo thought quickly through this, realizing with an empty, deep feeling in her chest, that she had been wrong; the potential for a war was still here. In fact, it was bigger than ever. The codes that she had hidden away in her bag were the secrets that everybody wanted, that they would likely fight over. How had she overlooked the fact that the Children of Atom were the greatest threat? Had she only been biased against the leader of the synths? For a second, she could only look over at Piper and share a look of frustration. She refused to get swept up in this, not when she was so close to leaving. But there was only one reason Chase would be telling them this; she wanted them to get involved.

“You know, I was impressed when you tracked Kasumi here,” Chase said thoughtfully. “Maybe not as quietly or efficiently as possible, but thankfully she was never in any real danger. Every synth I’ve tracked down, every synth convinced to come here, has been assured that he or she will come to no harm. My job is to make sure they all remain safe, no matter what. Understand?”

Solo nodded slowly.

“DiMA would never have asked this of you… but I think I have to, because I can’t do it myself. And you’ve proven yourselves valuable.” Chase took a deep breath. “I need you to leverage your access to the High Confessor and lure him to a secluded location. You should be able to find a spot in the command center where you can deal with him discretely and hide the remains-”

“ _Assassinate_ him?” Piper snapped, interrupting.

Chase cocked her head. “You think he’s innocent? Even if he killed everyone else on the island, would you believe it better that he doesn’t die?”

“Killing's killing,” Piper said determinedly. “There's always a cost to taking a life.”

“After all our recon and calculations, we believe that cost is worth it,” Chase told her quietly. “I believe the people here are more deserving of life than High Confessor Tektus. The people of Far Harbor, too, who would surely be in danger after we’re gone.”

Piper was quiet now, apparently in agreement, but Solo knew she would never accept the job. That wasn’t who she was – she had never been a mercenary or an assassin.

Solo had.

“If they know Piper was the spy, she wouldn’t be able to do it anyway,” Solo told Chase. “There’s no way to get close to Tektus; not anymore.”

Chase and Faraday shared a troubled look. “It isn’t fair for us to ask this of you,” she said finally. “If you think it’s too dangerous, you’re free to go. I’m sure we’ll find some other way.”

“Are you sure the Children are planning to attack Acadia?”

Chase walked over to one of the main terminals, typed a few keys on the keyboard, and then pointed at what looked like a written entry. “We’ve got one of the Children on our side. They feed us information every now and then. If they say the High Confessor is readying his people for an attack, I’m prepared to believe them.”

Solo didn’t even look at Piper; something told her she had to make the decision alone. She raised her eyes, meeting Chase’s dark ones. “There was something else in DiMA’s memories. We have it with us now.”

Both Chase and Faraday stared at her curiously, while Piper’s eyes widened in surprise. “Blue-!”

“It’s a nuclear launch key.” Solo moved as if to take it out of her bag, but then thought better of it. “DiMA knew that the Children would use it if they knew it existed; kill themselves to be closer to Atom. He didn’t want to lose their presence on the island.”

Chase’s gaze turned suddenly sharp. “If you’re telling the truth, then that’s even more likely to work than synth replacement.”

“Wait… synth replacement?” Piper demanded.

“If you can enter the base and convince Tektus to meet the great division, we will not need to have a hand in any of this,” Chase said. “They will deal with themselves.”

Something about this didn’t feel right, but Solo only swallowed and nodded. “I’ll try to convince him.”

“You aren't seriously going to take this job, are you?” Piper’s voice sounded cold and hard.

“After the sacrifice DiMA made for both Acadia and Far Harbor, it’s only fair that we try to protect the peace he’s tried to create.”

Piper shook her head in disbelief. “Hey, I hate 'em as much as anyone, but maybe we really have outstayed out welcome here, Blue. Maybe Kasumi deserves to go home-”

“These people deserve to have a home.” Solo finally met her eyes, aware that Chase and Faraday were watching them closely. “A war once destroyed my life and took away everything I loved. I don’t want that to happen to anyone else. Not here.” She took a deep breath. “It’s simple – we just have to convince Tektus, and he does it all himself. There’s peace on the island, everybody’s happy, and we can go home.”

This, over anything else, seemed to render Piper speechless. She just stared at Solo for a long while, thinking hard about what she’d just said. And then she took a large step back, and lowered her eyes to the ground. Solo expected her to say she would not get involved, that she would be leaving to the Commonwealth today, with or without Solo in tow. But, to her astonishment, Piper only muttered, “ _I’ll_ convince him. I’ve already established a relationship.”

It didn’t feel right, to have Piper agreeing with her on this. Why was she going through with it? For what reason could she possibly go against her morals and her level-headedness? Solo’s head spun to think of what she must have done to change Piper, just as Piper had changed her. What had happened to that stubborn, virtuous reporter who had argued with her over everything, even when she knew she was wrong? Solo was suddenly very worried that she was making an incorrect choice.

Still, she turned to Chase and Faraday. “It’s settled, then.”

“It means a lot that you’re willing to do this,” Chase said softly. She stepped forwards. “I’m sorry if we have relied on you too much since you’ve set foot on this island, if we’ve made you sacrifice things you wish you hadn’t-”

“We’ve made our own decisions,” Solo interrupted. She clenched her jaw. “Can you… tell Kasumi that we’ll be leaving in several days? We’ll be back to collect her once it’s all over.”

“We can send reinforcements with you, if you need them,” Faraday said. “There are plenty of synths here who know their weapons.”

“It’s best if this is done alone.”

“I… understand.” Faraday scratched his nose, just under his glasses. “Is there anything else we can do? Any preparations to make?”

“No.” Solo smiled thinly. “You’ll probably hear if we’ve succeeded. If we’ve failed...”

“We won’t,” Piper rejoined. She shot Solo a warning look, and then turned towards the observatory’s entrance. “Let’s go.”

 ---

And so, yet again, they were off on another journey, their lives in danger for the sake of countless others. Not entirely sure how to prepare for this last mission, Solo suggested they head back to Far Harbor again first. Maybe they could tell Captain Avery their plan, and she could offer advice. It felt like they were being cruel to themselves, returning to the very port they had hoped to leave from today, but they had no choice. Piper was worryingly silent all over again, and fidgety, and Solo was wondering if her need for heroics would prevent her from ever leaving this island again.

As they were approaching Far Harbor, she very abruptly felt sick of their little room in The Last Plank, which was undoubtedly waiting for them. She didn’t want to go back there. Not again. Especially not with Piper acting like this, and after their cheery goodbye to Mitch and the other bar-goers that morning.

“I’ve got an idea,” she said. And then she drew up the map on her Pip-Boy, and tried to remember where Old Longfellow’s house was. Piper didn’t protest when they switched their route, and they passed right by Far Harbor on their way towards the island which housed the old man’s cabin. It was just a little bit north of the main town, and the people had built a sort of boardwalk that connected the island to the mainland.

Solo and Piper arrived outside his cabin at mid-afternoon, parting the Fog and watching the trees for enemies. There was a jaunty tune playing on the radio inside the cabin, plenty of fishing equipment and buoys scattered outside. It looked dilapidated and moldy, the wood having collapsed in several places, but the orange glow flickering inside made Solo think it must be cozy. There was an outhouse and shed flanking the main building, and a small seating area outside complete with a grill.

Old Longfellow himself was sitting on the patio with a bottle of whiskey in one hand, singing a sailing tune to himself as they approached. Their presence didn’t even seem to surprise him; in fact, he didn’t even move to get up and greet them. Instead, he glanced over and smiled curiously. “If it isn’t the mainlanders, come for a drink at last.”

Solo, who felt cold and tired and dazed, and who felt like she was stuck in one of those recurring nightmares, set her bag down in one of the chairs and then said, “A drink, for sure. In exchange for a story.”

Old Longfellow stood, scratching his head as he placed the bottle of whiskey down on a table. “Oh, I’ve heard plenty stories ‘bout the two of you. It’s been a month, ain’t it, since I saw you? You’ve been busy.”

“We’ve been trying to solve a lot of problems that aren’t our own,” Solo muttered.

The old man tutted, eyeing her. “You’re much more talkative than I remember.”

Solo was taken aback. “I’ve… changed.”

He looked her over, apparently realizing she no longer wore her Brotherhood uniform beneath the armor, and then smiled. “A welcome change, no doubt.”

Piper set her bag down too, less certain. Old Longfellow looked at both of them, still curious. “What made you feel like visiting me today, eh?”

Solo shrugged.

Old Longfellow, thankfully, didn’t question them further. He squinted around them, muttered about it being cold out, and then beckoned for them to follow him into the cabin. They did as they were told, collecting their bags again and entering the glowing warmth inside. He kept his cabin remarkably neat despite its broken-down nature. The boarded floors were swept clean, the walls scrubbed, the furniture dusted. He had a fire burning in the trim fireplace, warming and lighting the cabin at once. Solo sighed as she felt the warmth, and heard Piper do the same. She had been right; it _was_ cozy. Old Longfellow gestured for them to sit down and then began rummaging around in cabinets for more alcohol.

Piper was staring blankly into the fire, sitting in an armchair of her own, and Solo had to fight the urge to reach over and touch her, to do anything to reassure her. Piper had already been acting weird over the last couple of days, and now she was like another person entirely. What was going on? Later - later she would ask.

Old Longfellow finally returned with more whiskey and glasses, and took his own seat by the fire. “So, a story, eh?” He shook his head as he poured, and then handed them each a glass. “Figure you might as well start from the beginning. From where I left you.”

Solo didn’t need anymore prompting. With Piper interjecting only occasionally, she told the old man everything, from finding Kasumi in Acadia to exploring the secrets that DiMA had hidden away. They didn’t leave anything out about infiltrating the Nucleus, either, or about DiMA having replaced someone in town. Old Longfellow seemed surprised about this – Solo remembered he hadn’t been there when DiMA had been executed. He’d probably been here instead, drunk and whistling away. When they finished the most recent telling of the story, Old Longfellow leaned forwards and whistled. Then he downed the rest of his whiskey.

“Say, you’ve done more for the people on this island than even the Mariner has. What’re you even gettin’ out of it?”

“I…” Solo glanced at Piper. “I don’t know.”

Old Longfellow whistled again. “Guess I read you wrong after all, eh?”

He gazed out of the window then, apparently realizing it was dark. “How ‘bout you stay for dinner?”

And so they ended up eating roasted radstag and tatos with him, too, still drinking whiskey as the sky blackened and the Fog settled around the cabin. The more drunk they got, the less Solo felt like she had to worry about what she’d agreed to do. Blow up the Nucleus? No big deal. In her intoxication, nothing seemed too impossible. Well, nothing except making Piper talk to her and act like her normal self.

Finally, they said they should probably return to Far Harbor and get a room so they could sleep. Old Longfellow good-spiritedly waved off the idea and pointed out that he had another room with a bed which they could use. He would be leaving soon after midnight, he said, and they were free to do whatever they liked around the place. Piper and Solo were too tired and worn to decline his offer, so after helping him clear away the glasses and bottles, they found themselves crossing the yard to what Solo had previously thought was a shed. Instead, it turned out to be another little cabin, this one much barer and colder than the main building. Old Longfellow helped them light the fireplace and then left, shutting the door with a bang behind him.

Solo couldn’t help it; she reached for Piper the moment they were alone, tugging her arm so she came close. The reporter sighed and hugged her, arms around her waist and face pressed to her shoulder. For a long moment, they stood like that all wrapped up in each other, seeking the sort of warmth that a fire couldn’t give them. Solo could smell the whiskey on her, and cigarette smoke too.

“Pipes, I’m so sorry.”

“Why?” Piper pulled back to gaze up at her.

“I said we’d leave, didn’t I? But now I’ve dragged us into something else.”

She stepped back and shook her head. “I didn’t realize until now, until what you said today, about losing everything in the war... that you feel like you have to save people. After all that time acting like you didn’t have a heart, you just can't help being a hero.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You couldn’t save anyone before the great war,” Piper said. “So you’re saving people now.”

Solo wasn’t sure what to say.

“You don’t have to be sorry about anything. That’s all.”

And then, as if the conversation was done with, Piper turned away and began taking off her coat, hat and gloves. Solo stared at her back as she did so, a little stunned. It was true, probably, that the reason she had jumped at helping people on this island was because she’d never had the ability to make a difference before. But... was that the reason Piper had been so distant lately? How could it be? How did any of it link together?

Solo took off her jacket and cap, smoothing her fingers through her hair, and got ready for bed as well. The room was already heating up, and although the bed was a narrow one, she was glad to be sharing it with Piper. But she wasn’t ready to sleep yet, not until she had some sort of explanation from the other woman about the way she’d been acting lately.

She waited patiently, sitting on the edge of the mattress, as Piper yanked off her shoes and pulled on an extra pair of socks, and brushed her fingers through her hair, and hung her coat on the back of the door. When she turned, she paused in surprise to see Solo just sitting there waiting for her.

“Something wrong, Blue?”

“I was about to ask the same thing.” Solo quirked an eyebrow. “Well… actually, I should’ve asked much earlier.”

Piper walked over hesitantly, and sat beside her. She left a great deal of space between them. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Really?” Solo gave her a stern look. “I told you that you could tell me anything, Pipes. And to tell me if we’re going too fast, or if I’m doing something you don’t want me to-”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?” Solo stared at her. “You’ve never acted like this before. What’s going on?”

Piper suddenly looked quite pale. She coughed nervously, and turned and crossed her legs so she could face her. “I’m not used to things like this, you know? Never had time for romance in my life before now – at least, that’s what I told myself. So I have no idea how to tell you…” Her voice strained, and she trailed off. Her eyes were looking everywhere but at Solo. “…How much you mean to me.”

Solo frowned at her. 

“I think I suddenly felt scared that something would happen to you, or you’d get bored of me. And it’s a new fear. I don’t know what to do with it…”

Now Solo was surprised. “Piper, what are you talking about?”

The reporter hesitated, seeming reluctant to share the truth, whatever it was. And then she finally met Solo’s eyes and shook her head. “Never mind.”

“Huh?” Solo eyed her, realizing now how panicked she looked. Something clicked, she thought, in her mind, like a key turning in a lock. She recognized instantly what Piper’s behavior had meant over the past two days. She’d been confused, and distant, and frustrated, all because she couldn’t understand herself. Piper was struggling to make some sort of confession, and it was now rather obvious what it was. Solo had wanted to make their relationship as casual as possible, but she had failed. She both wanted to laugh and to cry. She wanted to press Piper to her and kiss her and show her that there was nothing to be worried about; but she also wanted to run away.

_Nate, did you ever imagine I’d end up here?_

No, he wouldn’t have. But he’d have loved Piper anyway because of her good heart. And he’d only ever have wanted Solo to be happy. So the reason she was still refusing to face her own emotions, even though she had realized countless times how deeply she cared for Piper, was something that couldn’t possibly be explained. Well... it couldn't be explained to Piper in any number of words.

Suddenly irritable, Solo glanced away. "Great. Cat's got your tongue, huh?"

The other woman looked at her cautiously. “Blue… it - I shouldn't have...” She sighed. "I figured you'd react like this. I was worried you would-"

"React like what?"

Piper peered at her, still careful. "You know what I was gonna say, don't you?"

Feeling sadness and frustration prick at her gut, Solo very suddenly got to her feet and walked over to the door. Piper didn’t move to follow her or make her stay, her eyes wide and serious as she watched Solo quickly pull her coat on. Piper definitely wasn’t the sort of woman who cried – about anything, really – but Solo thought she saw her eyes shining with tears. And she hated it, that she was hurting Piper like this. But that wasn’t enough to make her stay and talk it out.

Piper suddenly said, desperately, “Blue, you don’t have to go. Please don't.”

“I’ll be back later,” Solo replied. She didn't even look at her. 

The reporter's voice came after a short pause, subdued and trembling. "Okay..."

Solo hated the thickness to Piper’s voice, and she could imagine the stinging look of rejection on her face. The reporter defiantly refused to move or cry or do anything that showed weakness, because she had now realized Solo's cruelty. That’s what she was doing, wasn’t it? Being cruel, and a coward.

Solo opened the door and shut it hard behind her, standing on the shed’s doorstep for a few seconds as she soaked in the cold.

To come so close to pure love and lose it so violently was something no medication could heal. Solo had never expected to be healed by another person; certainly not Piper. She didn’t want to be healed. Nate, poor Nate, was like a drug to her mind. And she didn’t want to let him go.

It was her pain and she would keep it. It was the intensity of this heartache that proved the strength of her distant bond to him, and she could not bear to feel less. She was scared of what would happen if she felt less – would he disappear from her mind completely? Would she forget about the man she had loved over two hundred years before?

Was that such a bad thing?


	26. Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honesty and courage - that's what Solo needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I guess you've all been waiting. I honestly wrote this chapter quite a while ago, before I was entirely sure which direction I would take the story in, and have slowly been developing it since then. It's short and sweet, but... quality, not quantity, right?  
> Enjoy!

Solo had nowhere to go, and it was so cold and foggy outside that she could barely stand in one position for longer than ten seconds. She walked a slow circle around Old Longfellow’s cabin, hands deep in her pockets, eyes half-closed against the wind. She tried to clear her mind, but it was no use.

She thought of Piper, wondering if she still sat in exactly the same place she’d left her. If she was crying, or just staring into space, or if she’d lit up a cigarette and was smoking all alone in that room. Solo’s heart ached for her very suddenly, in a way that was completely unexpected. For someone who wasn’t very good at sharing her personal feelings, Piper had been remarkably brave to even try telling Solo how she really felt. She’d been awkward, and too scared to finish her confession, but her honesty was yet again something that Solo found she could admire and that she pitied her for, in this very moment. Where had it gotten her?

The real problem was that Solo was not honest or brave enough to tell the truth, not the way Piper was, or she would have confessed something too before escaping that room. But would Piper even bother to listen, after what she’d just done?

Solo had no idea who she was anymore, and it scared her. She only knew that she liked herself much better now, with Piper in her life. She only knew that she couldn’t look at Piper and not touch her, couldn’t hear her speak without feeling affection warming her chest. She couldn’t live without her now; it was too late. Nate was no longer the only person on her mind – in fact, she hardly ever thought of him as much when she had Piper to think about. She had Piper to wake up next to, and to eat every meal with, and to laugh and talk to. Not Nate. Never Nate. Because he was long gone.

As if there were a magnet inside her, suddenly called by another, Solo shivered and found herself turning and hurriedly walking back the way she came, hunched against the cold and the wind. Her nose and ears were numb, and her heart was beating rapidly in her chest like the timer of a bomb. Tick, tick, tick…

She was suddenly terrified of all that she might lose if she didn’t get back to that shed right now. What would she do without Piper with her? How would she survive when she didn’t have her best friend – hell, _more_ than her best friend – at her side? It was incomprehensible. It made her feel sick. How had she gone so long without realizing that Piper was this important to her, and without _telling_ her that? She was foolish, stupid, careless…

If she didn’t face it now, she never would. And she’d lose her…

Solo walked much faster heading back to the cabin than she had leaving it. When she reached the door to the shed, she yanked it open and stepped inside, feeling like a character from a melodrama. She swung it shut behind her, bracing herself against the cold, and then glanced through the flickering firelight to where Piper stood.

To her relief, the woman hadn’t disappeared; she hadn’t run off, or ceased to exist, like Solo’s imagination had led her to believe. Piper was standing a few feet away by the fireplace, arms folded, looking incredibly sober.

Solo paused once she’d closed the door behind her to catch her breath and let her thoughts settle. She thought back to her return to Diamond City over a month ago, when she’d met Piper in Dugout Inn and found herself telling the reporter everything, spilling her guts like they’d known each other for years. Telling her what she would never have told anybody else in the same position. Whatever crazy urge had come to her then, telling her that Piper could be trusted, she felt it now, burning deep inside her chest.

Piper very slowly turned around to deliver her a blank stare. There was plenty to be said in that stare; that she was hurt, no doubt, and frustrated at Solo’s reaction, and still just as confused as she’d been before. But somehow the look just came across as stern. Did Piper hate her? Was she disappointed in her?

Solo felt foolish for having run off like that without quickly resolving things; she felt like a child. This was enough to make the frantic words catch in her throat, and she cleared it without success. Piper – who until now had seemed so skilled with speech, and often had the need to fill the silence – was no help at all. She just stared and waited expectantly.

Finally, Solo found herself saying, “It _does_ matter.” The silence seemed to grow thicker, and she swallowed down her anxiety. “I want to know what you were going to tell me.”

Piper sighed and – bless her – looked sorrier for Solo than she did for herself. “Forget it,” she said. “Blue, I’m not going to push you. I’d never do that.”

“I know.” Solo paused, searching her eyes in the flickering firelight. “But say it. Say it anyway.”

Piper shifted uneasily. “Say what?”

"You _know_ what."

Piper shook her head and glanced back at the fire. She seemed weary. “We should leave things as they are,” she said resolutely.

Solo laughed a little breathlessly, her nerves firing up. Was it already too late? “Come on, Pipes. What’ve you got to lose?”

As if the use of her nickname had been a trigger, Piper now turned fully to face her, half of her face lit with the orange glow of the fire. She looked distrustful, her eyes narrowed. “Blue…”

Before she could talk herself out of it, and worried now that Piper was about to give her a taste of her own medicine, Solo blurted, “I shouldn’t have walked away, just now. You make me happy. And I care about you.”

There was a slight quirk to Piper’s lips, as if the urge to smile or grimace had caught her off-guard. But Solo wasn’t finished.

“Okay? You mean something to me – something I can’t really even put into words because everything seems too lame in comparison. I’ve always wanted you, even when I hated you. I wanted you even though you drove me freaking insane. I want you now, and…” Her voice faltered; her lungs felt tight, and she struggled to draw in another breath. Finally, clenching her gut against the uneasy shifting there, she forced herself to meet Piper’s eyes. “And I think I’ll want you forever.”

Piper’s breath hitched – Solo heard it, over the sudden silence between them. And the face that she knew so well, with those hazel-green eyes that were often so serious, and the freckles over the bridge of her nose, and the curled black hair, and the lips that spoke passionate, bold words without hesitation… it was all frozen in shock. Then her features softened, and Piper took a hesitant step away from the fire and towards Solo. When she spoke, it was in a faint voice: “Blue, do you mean that?”

That pressing, uncomfortable feeling in Solo’s chest seemed to have lifted very suddenly, leaving her reeling and light-headed. She had let it go. Finally, she had let the grief go.

“Of course I mean it.”

Piper’s lips moved as she searched for a reply, but no words came out. Solo studied her expression as if from afar, and then searched her mind for the picture she’d expected to lose. But Nate was still there, smiling in her memory. A little more faded, perhaps, since he was a memory of a past life she no longer cared to live, but he hadn’t disappeared completely. Perhaps it was possible to love more than one person after all.

“I was going to say,” Piper said after a while, with great indecision, “that I think I’ve fallen for you.” She smiled nervously. “But you’ve stolen the words right out of my mouth.”

It was only a small smile, but Solo felt like she was gazing at the sun.

“Fallen for me?” Solo quirked an eyebrow. “Like in one of those cheesy romance novels?”

Self-conscious, Piper tilted her head. “That’s right.”

“Good,” Solo said. And then she took two steps towards her and reached for her face, fingers sliding along her jaw as she captured her mouth in a long, fervent kiss. It didn’t matter that it was freezing and they were inside a shed with a door that could barely lock; it also didn’t matter that there were likely monsters out there, and a drunk old man who was singing to himself in the next building over. Solo kissed her like she wanted all of her, because she did.

Starting at her knees she let her hands touch gently, slowly moving them up to her waist and then pausing for her reaction. Piper’s right hand raised to her hair, tucking the white-silver wisps behind her ear, and she pulled back to smile. “Does this mean-”

“Shh.” Solo hushed her only playfully, though, her fingers now trailing down over her throat, and her collarbone, in a gesture so light that it made her shiver. Solo felt very warm suddenly, and she knew from the red flush on her cheeks that Piper felt it too.

She reluctantly stepped away to take off her jacket and hang it back on the door. Her fingers were trembling, but not from the cold. The lust had built in her at a quick-fire pace, and she felt almost embarrassed by it, pausing to reign in her thoughts. Was it still too soon? Was she still scared of what Nate would think if he were still alive? She couldn’t even dredge up any pictures of him right now; she was too busy thinking of Piper’s lips, and her hands, and what she’d looked like wearing only a towel, water dripping from her skin. Like a little nymph, or a mermaid, or some other equally alluring creature.  

Piper was watching her curiously, she knew, still stood by the fireplace, and she was almost worried to reveal what she was thinking about. Turning around, she gave a little cough and smiled.

“Blue?” Piper’s cheeks were flushed, and it surely couldn’t just be because of the heat of fire. In the half-light, her eyes looked very dark, shining with twin reflections of orange as they searched Solo’s face. She was twisting at her fingers, the way she did when she was impatient or nervous. Solo allowed herself to relax, approaching her again slowly.

God knew it had been too long since she had allowed anyone else to touch her. She felt like she would shatter to pieces. But she wanted to take as much time as possible with this; she wanted it to feel right.

When she stopped barely a foot from Piper, the woman’s eyes widened imperceptibly. Feeling bold, Solo studied her slowly from head to toe, unsure of where exactly she wanted to start. Kiss her neck, maybe, and work her out of those clothes? And then kiss her everywhere else, until she was trembling and weak-kneed, hardly able to stand? She let out a barely-controlled sigh of longing, and Piper reached for her face, reorienting it so that she held the gaze Solo didn't want to give her, stealing the passion from her eyes in a way that only magnified the spark. Her fingers were trembling, but the hot intensity of her gaze surprised Solo, perhaps because she’d always seemed so awkward about this sort of thing in the past. Now, the reporter was as confident as ever.

Taking the hint, Solo moved close enough for Piper to feel her body through her clothes, hands loose at her sides. She heard the other woman’s breathing become deeper, her posture altering.

All this time worrying about her past, about Nate, and she had been holding herself back from what she had been craving. Solo wanted to be strong; strong enough to risk being broken all over again, to love again, fully knowing her own fragility. She’d known heartbreak enough to shatter her mind, to leave her soul feeling like dust in the wind and her body unwilling to live. But Piper was worth her life. She never left her mind, always there; mentally if not physically. This – to feel her so close, so warm and beautiful and soft – was all she had wanted for a long time.

A soft sound left Piper’s lips as Solo lost her patience and leaned to kiss her hard, ravenously, running her hands up her sleeved arms, wanting her to be so close that she couldn’t breathe. Solo could immediately feel Piper’s fingers in her hair, running through the softness before letting it tumble against her shoulders, hand finally moving down to clasp the back of her neck. The kiss deepened, and Solo pushed Piper as gently as she could back onto the bed without detaching herself from her, climbing on top of her body as soon as she had the chance. Her hands slid beneath the woman’s shirt, stroking the soft, trembling skin, mapping her out by touch –

“Blue…” Piper’s voice was soft and breathless, only adding more fire to Solo’s lust. She cut her off with another kiss, straddling her hips so she was practically pinned against the mattress. And then she paused, drawing back to gaze down at her. Pale skin, flushed cheeks, hazel eyes revealing an expression of dazed anticipation.

Very gently, she ran her thumb across Piper’s lips, locking eyes with her just long enough that they could both feel safe. Piper was simply watching her, breathing heavily, completely yielding to whatever she desired.

“I’m in love with you,” Solo said firmly. Saying the words aloud was almost like ecstasy in itself, and again there was more weight lifting from within her chest. It felt like her whole being had been waiting for her to accept it.  

Piper fidgeted a little beneath her, though she was smiling brighter than the sun. Her hands landed on Solo’s thighs, squeezing tight. “Can you… prove it?”

Solo slid her hands beneath the hem of Piper’s shirt again, watching as the smile fell from the woman’s face. Without warning, she began tugging it up past her chest, and Piper sat up to yank it off the rest of the way and toss it aside.

It wasn't the first time for either of them, but they were both nervous enough that it didn’t seem that way. Both of them paused for a moment, Piper looking embarrassed while Solo concentrated on taking in this new view. She gently touched a hand to Piper’s collarbone and then traced it down past her ribcage to her bellybutton, feeling her shiver beneath the gentle touch.

She smiled.

As she bent down and began kissing her neck, her collarbone, her chest, her stomach – every inch of warm, soft skin she could reach – Piper gasped and twitched beneath her. Her fingers dug into Solo’s hair as she kissed her way below her bellybutton and then unbuttoned her trousers one-handedly, pulling them down past her hips. Her underwear was quick to follow. Once Piper was free of all her clothes, Solo shed her own too, throwing them aside carelessly. And then she sat back and stroked a hand again over the other woman’s body, over the beautiful curves she hadn’t given herself enough time to appreciate, feeling Piper’s watchful eyes on her the whole time. The vulnerability in her gaze was completely disarming, irresistible. Solo’s fingers drifted over the muscles in Piper’s thighs, her hipbones, her tapered stomach, the space between her breasts… and then came to rest just above her heart. It was beating so fast. Solo met her eyes, seeing the mixture of vulnerability and excitement in them.

And then Piper’s lips quirked up into a warm smile. “Blue… you are one well-preserved relic, you know that?”

With a short laugh, Solo remarked, “Yeah, pretty hot for an old lady, aren’t I?”

Piper scoffed. Her arms wrapped around her back, and with one gentle pull their skin was touching. It was much warmer and softer than Solo had fantasized it would be, and she nibbled her bottom lip playfully before pulling away to grin down at her. “But you – you’re beautiful.”

Piper’s adorable expression of surprise and then mild awkwardness was enough to make Solo want to kiss her again, and again. She rested one knee between Piper’s legs, pleased to hear a faint sigh as she pressed it up firmly. Hands then grasped her bare hips, holding her still, and Solo heard Piper’s enticing whisper in her ear: “You first.” 

She couldn’t deny that she was pleased to see Piper taking charge. Succumbing, she rested their foreheads together, feeling one of Piper’s hands moving lower than her hips, stroking along her stomach. She rocked forwards almost instinctively as she felt Piper’s fingers between her thighs, a weakened gasp leaving her. The woman held her tighter, hazel eyes narrowing and lips quirking up into a pleased smile. She kissed her, soft and slow, and then her fingers moved again. This time, Solo couldn’t help but sigh, pressing her face into her shoulder. Piper’s fingertips must have been electric, for wherever they touched, Solo’s skin tingled in a frenzy of static. Her mind was unable to process the pleasure so fast.

Without hesitation, she reached for Piper as well, palms pressing into her breasts, her shoulders, her neck – everywhere she could reach. In the twilight room their fingers caressed each other's skin as if afraid a heavier touch would break the heady magic. They became one, one mind with one goal and purpose, each utterly drunk with love for the other. Solo didn’t stop moving, finding ways to draw endearing sounds from Piper’s mouth so she could kiss them away. Eventually she was so overcome with the sensation that she could feel herself rapidly approaching the edge. A soothing kiss was pressed into the side of her jaw, Piper’s free hand bracing her hip, as if she knew what was about to happen.

Her self-assured intuition was enough to send Solo over the edge. Burying her face in Piper’s neck and inhaling deeply, she shut her eyes and let the waves of vibrant pleasure wash over her. She had no idea how much noise she made, or how tightly she clutched Piper as the woman continued to incite such beautiful sensations in her. All she could do was let herself go entirely, fall to pieces so that she could be put back together again.

Eventually, Piper let her hand go still, also panting as she clutched Solo firmly against her. Feeling drowsy and still overwhelmingly sensitive, Solo lifted her head and kissed Piper on the lips. There was a soft hum from the other woman, seeming to say that even she was very much satisfied.

Not satisfied enough.

Solo settled herself with an elbow beside Piper’s head and stroked a hand teasingly over her breast and down her stomach, smiling as she felt the reporter stiffen, abdominal muscles tensing. Those hazel eyes widened.

“Blue, you don’t have to-”

Solo silenced her with a kiss.

Piper’s subsequent sigh was even more appealing; Solo moved her hand slightly lower and continued to watch the woman’s face with heavy-lidded eyes, gauging her reaction as she reached exactly the place she knew Piper wanted the most release. She’d never seen her lacking so much control before, and it was perhaps the most thrilling thing she had ever seen. Driven by the urge to treat her to exactly what she deserved, Solo leaned in to kiss her neck as well, and then her breasts, her tongue tracing languidly over the skin before she used her teeth to leave faint red marks where she was sure they would remain for a while. Piper was definitely putting in some effort to keep quiet, but every so often a sound escaped her mouth that she couldn’t control which made Solo tingle from head to toe.

She wanted to tell her that it didn’t matter, that she could be as loud as she wanted because no one would hear her, but decided that sort of thing could be left until next time.

Piper’s fingers eventually tangled in Solo’s hair, gripping her tightly, and Solo hummed in satisfaction as she kissed along her throat. The rest of the world became an unimportant blur that was banished into the far recesses of her mind. The only thing that mattered was touching Piper more, kissing her mouth, her stomach, her breasts. She tried to be gentle, but it was hard to maintain control.

In hardly any time at all, one of Piper’s hands grabbed Solo’s wrist in a white-knuckled grip. “Blue-I’m… I’m-”

Solo deftly increased the pressure of her fingers, pushing Piper further. As she moaned her pleasure, her back arching slightly, fingers tightening reflexively in her hair, Solo bent down to kiss her mouth. She kissed her until she could hardly breathe anymore, and then drew quickly back to give her some space. Piper came down from her high with one hand on her forehead, eyes closed, seemingly concentrating on catching her breath back. With a smile she couldn’t quite control, Solo stroked a hand over her trembling skin again, palm lightly cupping her hip. “You all right?” she inquired softly.

Piper’s eyes opened. For a while, she seemed enormously disoriented, but then she glanced over at Solo and a small smile appeared on her face. An awkward, uncertain one, at that. Solo thought it was endearing.

Piper touched Solo’s arm, fingertips tracing lightly from wrist to elbow before reaching to intertwine their fingers. “It’s never been like that.”

Solo couldn’t help but grin, delighted. “Like what?”

The woman was lost for words – Solo could see how uncomfortable the question had made her. Laughing, she ducked in to kiss her cheek. “I’m kidding.”

“I’m in love with you, too.”

Solo stopped laughing, looking at Piper dead-on.

“You’re the only one for me,” Piper said. She smiled unreservedly. “Guess I finally have someone to call my own.”

Solo reached out to tuck her arm around Piper’s waist, hugging her closely with her head against her shoulder. “You’re the only one for me, too, Pipes.”

Piper’s hand migrated up to Solo’s face and began running affectionately through her hair, fingers combing through each individual strand. She tucked a leg over Solo’s thigh, too, tangling them together. When she closed her eyes, Solo could hear the faint beating of her heart, feel her warmth surrounding her. In all the years she had been alive, she had never felt more safe; more satisfied. She turned her face to kiss Piper’s shoulder, wanting to give some sign of how comfortable she felt in this woman’s arms. Piper only held her tighter, mumbling, “Goodnight, Blue.”

“Night, Pipes.”

They laid there together in the near-darkness, on top of the blankets in each other’s arms, until they eventually both succumbed to a dreamless sleep.


	27. Every Time We Say Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper and Solo are completely smitten - in fact, it's hard to focus on anything other than each other. But now they have to think about what's ahead of them: the end of the Children of Atom.

Everything was different.

Piper felt like the whole world as she knew it had tilted on its axis, even though it surely shouldn’t feel as if so much had changed. What _had_ changed, really?

She had used to shake her head when people talked about soul mates; thought they were poor deluded individuals grasping at some supernatural ideal they read in novels and poetry. Perhaps she’d even been jealous of them, as deluded as they were. Now, she knew that they had only known more than she did, and felt like she’d been the one who had been deceived this whole time. She hadn’t ever belonged anywhere and she never really belonged to anyone. And everyone else belonged somewhere and to someone. Had she really thought herself better than them? Had she really thought they were blind?

That was it – that’s what made this morning feel so different to all the others. Piper had admitted it, and Solo had as well. Love was real, and they both had it, as sure as any other Commonwealth couple. Piper had woken up and immediately felt the bond that connected them, like a tangible cord tethering them together so tightly it would take a chainsaw to tear them apart. It was a deep, affectionate aching inside her chest that accompanied her smile, when she’d woken up to see Solo’s sleeping face. It was a feeling of un-smothered longing when she thought of their night of passion and wondered if it would be like that every time from now on.

It was _love_.

They both woke up that morning without the stiffness and unhappiness of the day before; Solo kissed her cheek and then climbed out of bed to re-light the fire. Neither of them had noticed it had gone out during the night, as they’d been warm in each other’s arms. Piper watched her figure moving in the darkness, noticing her skin was so pale it seemed to glow, and her hair, which was darkening already at the roots, seemed like real silver. She was slender and tall, but she moved with all the grace and certainty of a soldier. Piper smiled as she thought of what an odd mixture it was, despite how it suited Solo more than anything. She could be fierce and cold, but had been only affectionate with Piper last night, and had only touched her delicately. She could be hard as stone and un-empathetic, but then would offer her heart or risk her life for people she didn’t even know.

How about that?

When Solo returned to bed, Piper cuddled into her and listened to her speak about the day ahead – they would head back to Far Harbor and talk to Captain Avery, maybe pick up some more ammunition from the weapons store… – but she was hardly taking in any of her words. She just wanted to hear and feel her voice. When Solo asked her a question, Piper took a while to realize that she had to provide an answer; she drew back, smiling awkwardly. “Could you… repeat that?”

Solo just kissed her again. “Never mind. You’re distracted.”

“By you.”

She felt Solo’s smile against her cheek, and then her wandering hands a second later. “Let me help you with that,” the other woman whispered.

And so they made love again, and again Piper came down from her high feeling like she’d been to heaven and back. She gasped for a short second against Solo’s neck, and then held her tight and didn’t let go. Finally, Solo’s fingers pried at her hands worriedly. “Pipes?”

“Yeah – sorry.” Piper stroked her side instead, feeling the faint ridges of old scars beneath her fingertips. She was struck, suddenly, by how little she actually knew about Solo’s life before the bombs fell. How many stories were there that she hadn’t heard? It didn’t worry her that she didn’t know, but she did wonder if Solo would ever be comfortable telling her about it. She wanted to know more about the other woman’s parents, and about where she was born and grew up, and about how she had trained to be a lawyer. She even wanted to know about Nate.

Solo trailed a hand down the side of her face and then leaned in to kiss her again. “We should get up soon,” she muttered reluctantly.

Would Old Longfellow realize what had changed between them? Was it only to Piper that the whole world had seemed to morph and shift before her eyes? She sighed. “We really have to?”

“Maybe ten more minutes.” And then Solo held her closer, and they laid there and cuddled for a little while longer – much longer than ten minutes, Piper was glad to think.

Finally, they both heard the sound of Old Longfellow trudging around outside, perhaps checking their little shed for any signs of them being awake. There was the squeak of a tap being turned on, a bucket being filled, and then his footsteps retreating. Solo sat up and swung herself out of bed, leaving Piper feeling quite cold, and then searched the room for her clothes. Piper forced herself to do the same.

Once they had both discovered their clothes and put them on, Solo levered open the door and let the sunlight stream in, wincing against the brightness. They could now see more of each other, and the inside of the shed. Piper was busy buttoning up her coat, but she glanced up to see Solo watching her and let her hands grow still. Beyond her, she could see the green of the grass and the dull grey of the sky; even the irregular shape of Old Longfellow’s house.

“Something I can do?” Piper asked perceptively.

“Do you ever think about someone and immediately feel happy?”

Smiling, Piper said, “Sure I do.”

Solo walked over, grabbed her press hat off the post of the bed, and then placed it on her head. Her grey eyes were alight with a sort of impish happiness, and Piper genuinely felt like she would spend a whole day staring into them if she had the chance to. Solo kissed her again – almost as if a second couldn’t go by without them touching one another – and stepped away. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s not keep the old man waiting.”

Old Longfellow, when he saw them, only shook his head and muttered a gruff, “Good mornin’.”

He offered them more whiskey, and when they declined, handed over some powdered eggs instead. Having spent some of the night in Far Harbor, he chatted with them idly about what had gone on after hours. Nothing about the way they were acting seemed to make him pause and look at them with an expression of wonder, as Piper almost hoped he would. Surely he’d noticed a change in them? She couldn’t stop touching Solo’s hand, or pressing their legs together under the table, or exchanging a smile with her when it wasn’t even necessary. Their world was bright, and electric, and alive – the rest of the island, in comparison, was dull and drab. Piper could almost forget that their most dangerous mission of all was still ahead of them, one which, if not conducted right, could result in them losing one another for good, and then all of this would be for nothing. But that wouldn’t happen. She was sure of it.

Old Longfellow waved them off once they had finished breakfast, thanking them for their storytelling last night and wishing them luck on their journey ahead. He said he’d probably see them around Far Harbor before they left; and, if not then, when they returned. They said their goodbyes, grabbed their bags, and left him and his old cabin behind. Piper wouldn’t have minded returning, especially since it housed what would likely become a memory of one of the best times of her life. But she didn’t think they would ever come back.

Once they reached Far Harbor, they found the town was already hard at work. Fishermen were pushing their boats out to sea and yanking in nets that were heavy with little silver fish, some with two heads and two tails. There were butchers scaling and cutting these fish, tossing them into baskets, while children carried them over to the women to cook. And then there was the Mariner, hammering away at something inside her shop, and Allen cleaning the rifles at his weapons counter, and the doctor giving one of the town’s residents a checkup while he clutched his wife’s hand. Far above them, standing at her window and watching over the whole town, was Captain Avery. Even from down here, Piper could see the hard, thoughtful look in her eyes. Would she ever know what she was? Did she know already?

The town was so full of life today that Piper could hardly imagine it at war. She thought of the holotapes that were left in Solo’s bag, one with a launch code that would blow up the Nucleus; the other with a kill switch that would shut down the Condensers and leave everyone here at the mercy of the Fog. They only planned to use one, but… if they failed, how could they prevent the Children from getting their hands on the kill switch? If they were both dead, this whole town was doomed. The Children of Atom would only grow stronger, led by that monster of a man.

When Piper shivered, Solo took her hand and glanced down at her curiously. “Cold?”

“No,” she replied tightly. “Just thinking the worst.”

Solo squeezed her hand, but she didn’t say anything to reassure her. Perhaps it was too late now to be giving each other words of encouragement. They had gotten themselves tied up in the island’s business; they were the spies, the outsiders, the only people who could make a difference. Without them, all these people would likely die. Without them, Kasumi would never be able to return home, the harborpeople would no longer _have_ a home, and the Children of Atom would have full control of the island.

Piper knew what had to be done. Even though she certainly wasn’t ready to return to the Nucleus after thinking she’d be leaving it behind forever, the idea that she’d be doing good was enough to inspire her. She thought of the noxious fumes and the prickling of her skin, and the people with sad, wild eyes who mumbled prayers constantly under their breath. She thought of Sister Aubert, who would have died for love if it weren’t for Piper covering her tracks. She thought of Gwyneth, who had committed the crime of discovering the truth about the cult and had been banished from her home because of it. She thought of the High Confessor’s wrinkled, painted face, and the dull shine of power in his eyes…

It would all come to an end, soon enough.

Solo led the way into one of the entrance buildings, and Piper followed her up the stairs into what looked like a small hostel room; there was a bed, a counter with a kettle and stove, overhead cupboards of a tawny colour, and a small desk upon which there was a terminal and several stacks of papers. Captain Avery turned from the window when she heard them arriving, as if she’d expected their entrance.

“Nice to see you again,” she said kindly. “I take it this is a goodbye visit? Will you be on your way?”

Solo sighed, and her hand passed lightly over Piper’s before she stepped further into the room and replied, “Unfortunately not.”

Avery didn’t seem very surprised. She walked over to the counter and turned on the stove, placing the kettle on top of it. “The Children of Atom?” she said lightly.

Piper frowned. “How did you-?”

“A while ago, your friend here told me about your infiltration of that place – the Nucleus, was it? And she spent plenty of time asking everyone around here what we thought of the Children. I figured you might think them a serious threat.” Avery turned to study them, her eyes darkly curious. “I was surprised when you came to us with DiMA instead.”

“It was because of DiMA that we infiltrated their base at all,” Solo explained. “He’s had more of a hand in what’s gone on here than you think.”

Captain Avery was still studying them thoughtfully. “There’s a spy here. I remember what he said.”

“Yes,” Solo agreed awkwardly.

There was a long silence. And then Captain Avery turned to stare out of the window again. “But now it’s the Children of Atom who are the problem again, huh? What are they planning? Do you know?”

“It’s Acadia they want first, because they think DiMA stole something from the Nucleus,” Solo told her. “But they wouldn’t think twice about coming here afterwards. They want the whole island.”

“Don’t we all?” Captain Avery drummed her fingertips shiftlessly on the windowsill. She drew in a sharp breath, then, and Piper knew that she was about to tell them something harsh.

“Look… I feel the people of this island have more to thank you for than we even realize. We’re in your debt. But haven’t you done enough? Don’t you have families to get back to – a home? Friends?”

Piper was quite taken aback. “You don’t want us to help you?”

“It’s not your job to help us,” Captain Avery said firmly. “For years now, we have lived on this island without conflict. There’s been tension, for sure, but there never seemed to be quite so much danger until the two of you arrived.”

Both Solo and Piper stared at her in surprise, a little confused by the tightness to her voice. Solo protested, “We never meant to get caught up in any of this-”

“I know you didn’t,” Avery interrupted tiredly. “You think I don’t know that?”

There was a loud hiss as the water in her kettle finally reached boiling point. She stepped quickly to turn off the stove, letting the bubbling die down into silence. They all waited, then, as she deftly prepared three cups of tea and handed them out. Piper closed her fingers around her own mug, breathing in the smell of the herbs, and wondered at the stiffness of Captain Avery’s shoulders. The older woman was definitely agitated over something, and she seemed to be very upset about their presence on the island – now more than ever. In fact, she’d never seemed so unhappy with them before.

All of a sudden, Piper understood.

“You _know_ , don’t you?” Piper said meaningfully.

Captain Avery stared at her. “Know what?”

Piper set her mug down, and took a careful step closer. “The synth that DiMA put in this town… you know who it is.”

Her lack of denial was enough of an answer – Avery only looked at her through slightly widened eyes, her breath caught in her throat. And then she began trembling, so much that she had to set her own mug down on her desk and steady herself against it. Solo moved to help her, but she frantically waved her away.

“I didn’t know,” she said quietly. “Not until you brought DiMA here to pay for his crimes.”

Piper reached to touch her shoulder gently, and the woman flinched as if she’d been slapped. She sighed and backed away, giving her some space. “You know,” Piper said. “Don’t you?”

“I…” Avery shut her eyes tightly. “I was born here. There’s no way…”

Solo glanced once at Piper, and then began rummaging through her bag. From the front pocket she pulled one of their many orange holotapes and something on a silver chain – a locket? Piper hadn’t seen it before. She hadn’t even known that Solo had picked it up.

Avery stared at the chain as if it were a ghost come back to haunt her. “My locket,” she whispered, paling. “It was lost in a fire.”

“No it wasn’t,” Solo told her frankly. She carried it over and placed it in Captain Avery’s hands, closing her fingers around it. “That’s just what he wanted you to remember.”

Captain Avery stared down at the locket with shining eyes. “It can’t be…”

Solo set her bag down and began searching through it again, removing some items so she could get to the bottom. She pulled out an object she had wrapped in some of her clothes – Piper already knew what it was, and glanced at Avery as Solo unwrapped it.

The skull was still stained with dust and mould, and there was a pronounced crack in one temple, exactly the place where the original Captain Avery had been struck and murdered. It looked terrible in full daylight, and Piper almost didn’t want to look at it.

Avery stared at the skull with terror. She let the locket fall from her hands and clatter on the floorboards, pressing herself hard back against the desk. “Look – I’m _me_. I remember everything! I can’t be a synth! You’re wrong!”

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Solo said calmly despite her shouting, now placing the skull back in its nest of t-shirts and putting it back in her bag. “But the evidence is conclusive. You need to accept it.”

“Accept it?” she repeated fearfully. And then she looked at the Gatling laser across Solo’s shoulder blades and seemed to remember what she was.

“What are you going to do with me?” she demanded. “I know the Brotherhood – I know what they do. What they _have_ been doing, over the past month...”

Solo stared at her with those impenetrable grey eyes and then let her gaze fall. “I don’t know what they’ve been doing,” she said truthfully. “Whatever it is, we won’t be following suit. We hadn’t even planned to tell you the truth.”

Captain Avery glanced wildly between them, searching their faces for some hint of maliciousness, perhaps. When she saw none, she slowly released her grip on the desk behind her and straightened. “Why?” she asked quietly.

“We’ve been helping synths this whole time,” Piper said, with as much kindness as she could muster. “What else would we want with Acadia? What else would we want with Kasumi Nakano?”

Captain Avery swallowed down her fear. “The girl… she’s a synth?”

“We don’t know,” Piper said. “She could be. But that’s not the point. When we came here, we were in a unique position to help you – all of you. We’re outsiders, and we don’t belong anywhere, so that means we don’t have to pick sides. We haven’t come here to ‘cleanse the Commonwealth’ or anything like that. We just want to help.”

Avery looked very old all of a sudden; her face seemed to fall, and wrinkle even more than usual. She let her body slump a little, and her eyes dropped to the ground. “I would never have known if you hadn’t come here,” she said softly. “Perhaps I would have died not knowing.”

“You’d find out one way or another,” Solo disagreed.

“You don’t age,” Piper added. “Not like a human does. Someone would notice, and then you would be treated the same way DiMA was – like a murderer, a spy. They wouldn’t know that you had no idea.”

Avery rubbed a hand over her face wearily. “I suppose that’s true.”

“It _is_ ,” Piper insisted. “You’re better off knowing now. DiMA wanted you to be peaceful, Avery. And you have been. You’re the reason there’s been no war over the past few years. It’s because of you that everyone here is still alive. You’ve refused conflict, and you’ve kept the peace between all the factions.”

Captain Avery gazed at her dully. “I was his puppet.”

“You _were_ ,” Solo said, cutting in. Her eyes were sharp. “But not anymore. He’s paid for what he’s done, and he showed remorse for it. Now you’re without your creator, it’s up to you what you decide to do with this town. Do you want peace, or do you want war?”

Captain Avery shook her head sluggishly.

Solo continued, “Do you want to let the Children attack you, and kill all of you, or will you let us help you?”

After several long, painful seconds, Captain Avery finally looked up at both of them with a hard look in her eye. She straightened again, and this time looked much more like the woman who had greeted them when they first arrived in town, with an easy confidence and a quiet nature. She wet her lips with her tongue.

“I choose peace,” she said.

 ---

Captain Avery’s blessing had been enough to inspire Solo and Piper with a sense of urgency. Now they would be doing this for the sake of her, more than anybody else. She had been built by DiMA to keep peace, but no longer had the power to do such a thing. Piper and Solo would take the job from her hands willingly, if only because part of what she had said was true; the moment they’d arrived on this island, they had been setting a chain of events in motion. They had both been under the impression that they were only solving the island’s problems, but they’d caused them as well. Piper and Solo had been the catalysts for the growing tension, and the anger, and the danger. Before them, it had been Kasumi – she was the spark that had lit the end of their wire and set them going. She’d brought this whole process to life. Perhaps it had all even started the night that Solo and Piper sat in Dugout Inn and decided to take on Kasumi’s case together. Or the night they left Diamond City and started their adventure.

Was this how fate worked? Did Piper believe in that now, the same way she believed in love?

Once again, they found themselves checking into a room in The Last Plank – this time, however, it was the room they had always avoided taking. Mitch handed them the keys with a knowing look in his eye. They walked past all the morning’s drunkards and headed up the stairs. The walls were still pale and rough with brine, and there was still a draught sweeping through the building from the sea, and the sounds of gulls, shouting fishermen, and hammering metal still filled the rare moments of silence. Nothing had changed here, after all. No one here knew what sort of chain of events Piper and Solo had set in motion, and they had no idea how it would end.

This new room was much darker, but slightly larger. There was a double bed, a dresser and a safe in one corner, several picture frames hanging haphazardly on the walls, and a worn carpet layering the dusty floorboards. It looked like no one had stayed there in years.

Once they were very much alone, and the door was locked behind them, Piper switched on both the lamps on the nightstands and began brushing sand and dust off the mattress. Solo put her bags down and watched her, fiddling with the buckle of her Pip-Boy. When Piper felt it was clean enough, she sighed and let herself fall against the bed, grimacing at the scratchiness of the straw pillow. For a few moments, Solo just stood and watched her. And then she dropped her bags and weapons and joined her on the mattress.

Piper drew her close by her hand, tucking herself against the other woman’s body with a relieved sigh. She breathed in the scent of her skin and her hair, face buried in her neck. “I love you,” she said into the silence.

There was a dry chuckle – she felt the vibrations against her ear. “I love you too, Pipes,” Solo replied.

“We’re going tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re gonna let me go in alone, when we get there?”

This time there was a long pause, and she felt Solo’s fingers tighten around her. “As long as I have a way to communicate with you.”

“Good.” Piper nuzzled into her neck.

“I don’t like it, though,” Solo added. “At all. If something happens to you-”

“Nothing will. And you’ll be there to save me, won’t you?”

She was only teasing, but truthfully she meant it more than anything. Solo had always been there to protect her, no matter what. She didn’t think any less of her this time around.

“Sure,” Solo sighed. She plucked Piper’s press cap off her head and tossed it aside, and then began to stroke her fingers through her hair. “Just think about how it’ll feel when it’s all over. When we’re arriving back in Diamond City, and you see Nat. When you print your first article about this place…”

“No. It’ll seem too distant for those people,” Piper said quickly, realizing how bitter she sounded soon after she’d spoken. She added, “In Diamond City, nothing beyond the wall really matters. They only care about what’ll affect them.”

Solo sighed. “Then don’t write an article. Write a book. Give them a story to read that’ll make them feel like they’re somewhere else.”

Starting, Piper pulled away to gaze up at her. “Blue, that’s… actually a really good idea.”

“‘Actually’?” Solo teased dryly. “Thanks.”

“Well, it’s not like you’ve taken that much interest in my work before,” Piper grumbled, settling against her again.

“I’m only interested in the paper because it’s something you made,” Solo said simply. “Anything to do with you is special to me now.”

Touched, Piper pressed her palm to Solo’s chest and paused to feel the beat of her heart beneath it. No armor today, because they hadn’t expected any enemies. Solo was as unprotected as she always was, and it was nice to think they were one and the same. Her heartbeat was regular, if not a little fast. Leaning up on one elbow, Piper bent to kiss her where she’d just put her hand, lips pressing into the fabric and feeling the radiating warmth underneath. When she glanced up to meet Solo’s eyes, they were tender.

Her chest burned with the same deep, aching feeling she’d felt that morning, and the night before. Piper wasn’t simply "in love," she was well and truly smitten. She’d been thinking about Solo and needing to be close to her for the whole day. Never before had she felt less like the Piper she used to be – the reporter who only loved her sister and her work. Now, she was so much more. She didn’t regret a single thing.

“What’re you thinking?” Solo asked, touching her face.

She was almost too overwhelmed to answer. But then she did: “I’m thinking about you.”

“Flattering.”

Piper smiled at her tone. The idea of adoring Solo so much she would rather die than be without her was almost sad. She couldn’t imagine the pain of ever losing her, not now.

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” she asked quietly.

Solo sat up, then, and took Piper’s face in both hands. “You never had to do anything,” she said. “Except be you.”

And then she kissed her, her lips soft and gentle, and Piper felt all that emotion in her chest shift and coil, moving like something alive inside of her. She was in love, _so_ in love, now that Solo had admitted it too, and it had made a romantic out of her.

Solo broke away from her mouth and trailed her lips down the front of her throat. Piper felt her hands unbuttoning and untying her coat, and then pressing warm against her skin beneath her shirt. Solo’s lips parted in tingling butterfly kisses that drained the strength from her knees. She realized Solo was mouthing words against her skin.

Not words. Just one word.

 _Mine_.

Later, as they lay wrapped up in each other all over again, both gasping a little and exchanging warm kisses, Piper told Solo again how much she loved her. She couldn’t stop it now – the words kept on forcing themselves from her mouth. And Solo replied to her, the same way she had before, with her voice low and serious: “I love you, too.”

And then Solo kissed her again, and her hands stroked her body, and – well, Piper thought she must have always been interested in women, if she was able to get her going like that. Piper herself was only beginning to learn what Solo liked, but it seemed her educative process was much slower somehow.

Finally, when both of them were spent, they slept. Solo set an alarm for early the next morning, and then curled up with Piper’s back to her chest, her face in her hair. They slept just as deeply as they had the first night, feeling just as warm and safe.

 ---

Their journey back to the Nucleus was rather uneventful. As usual, there were wolves and feral ghouls, but they were hardly much trouble. Solo knew exactly which parts of their bodies to target, and often managed to kill each creature with only one or two bullets. She kept Piper close by her side, feeling strange if she was any more than a foot away from her. She continued trying to catch her hand as they walked, or shoot her a smile, or tuck a wisp of hair behind one ear. Piper answered all of it with the same level of affection, making Solo’s heart throb like it was in pain. _Oh Lord_ , was all she could think. _And I thought falling in love the first time was painful_.

But now it felt like she really hadn’t been in love before at all. Every feeling she’d had in the past for other people was like nothing compared to this. Oh, Piper was a troublemaker for sure, but it was her kindness that made Solo feel so glad to have her close. There couldn’t be anyone else in the Commonwealth with a soul as good as hers.

And so she relaxed in the face of new love, and tried not to worry about how suddenly she’d become infatuated with Piper after their night at Old Longfellow’s cabin. Worrying about it would only make the longing worse and harder to understand.

When they stopped for a short lunch break in the middle of the forest and Solo caught Piper gazing at her, she tugged her close and pressed a hungry kiss to her mouth. The reporter laughed. “That’s what you want? All you gotta do is ask, Blue.”

“Asking makes it less fun.” And she kissed her again, for good measure, one hand playfully grasping her thigh. Piper wriggled away after that, but her smile was one of covetousness. They continued exchanging touches and kisses wherever they saw fit – even the looming danger ahead did nothing to spoil their mood.

It was only when they drew near to the Nucleus, and began to walk through heavy Fog and swampland, that Piper seemed to grow restless and distant. Solo didn’t push her to be as cheerful as she had earlier, knowing what she had to deal with. After a week spent in that place, even she wouldn’t be so happy to be going back. And now Piper would be going inside, not knowing what might have changed – what if they thought her a traitor? What if they knew for sure that it was her who had stolen from the command center? – and she would need to kill all of them or else die herself. Solo refused to think about this last part. She refused to think about them catching her, and ruining her.

Piper had survived much worse before Solo had even met her. She could be trusted with this, above anyone else. Even Solo herself.

They had reached more familiar parts of swampland now, and Piper was grimacing as all the wet clay stuck to her boots – once, she even stopped and muttered, “So much _mud_. How’re you fine, Blue?”

“I don’t tread so heavily,” Solo remarked.

“So I’m heavy then, that it?”

Smiling, Solo grabbed her arm and pulled her quicker through the mud until she was standing on harder land and could wipe her boots off somewhat. As Piper made to walk again, Solo stopped her. “You okay?”

“I’m just… ready,” she said determinedly. But then her eyes flickered, and she glanced away. “I have definitely had this nightmare, Blue.”

“What do you mean?”

“I head into the Nucleus, they find out what I’m really there for, and they toss me into their pool of radiation.” She rubbed her forehead. “Oh, jeez, I’m really bumming myself out.”

“Yeah, don’t do that.” Solo grabbed her hand, slipping her fingers against her palm and holding it to her mouth. As she kissed the back of it, Piper’s anxiety seemed to ease up a little. Solo kissed her other hand, too, and then bent to kiss her forehead. “Ease up on the worry,” she told her softly. “You’ll be fine. And you know how to get to me.” Solo reached around to her bag and tugged at the radio she’d clipped onto the side. “And if you don’t get to me, I’ll know by five tonight that you’re in trouble, and I’ll come in to get you.”

Piper hesitated. “Maybe we should make that earlier.”

“If you want.” Solo searched her eyes. “Now, tell me again – are you okay?”

“Better.” Piper smiled briefly. “Let’s keep on going.”

So they walked again, leaving deep footprints in the mud as they approached the familiar rise which hid the entrance to the Nucleus behind it. The trees seemed much larger and darker than Solo remembered, and the Fog was much thicker, with a greenish hue. It coated the inside of her lungs and made her cough a little, and so she made sure they both stopped to take some Rad-X and RadAway. Piper took an extra two doses of it.

Finally, they paused below the rise, in exactly the spot Solo had always returned to when she set up camp. Exactly the spot they had shared their first kiss. Piper changed out of her coat and press cap, donning the baggy robes she’d been given after her initiation into the fold. Solo watched as she did so, feeling an odd sense of panic rising up inside her as she saw Piper covering up her smooth, pale skin with such ragged pieces of fabric. She would be leaving soon, and Solo would be tasked with waiting. Waiting for a message or for her return. And she already knew how agonizing that would be.

Piper finally turned and smiled at Solo. “I guess this is it.”

Solo studied her, fretting over how pale the reporter had become all of a sudden. She walked over and straightened the front of her robes, and peered down into her face. “You’ll be careful,” she said. “Right?”

“Not exactly my strong suit, but I’ll try.” Piper grinned. “I’ve got the radio, and I can tap morse fast enough. If anything happens…”

“I’ll keep you safe,” Solo finished for her. She leaned in and kissed the smooth, warm skin of Piper’s cheek, glad to see a pink flush there when she pulled back. “Go,” she said.

“On it.” Piper gave her a mock salute, and then stepped past her, slipping the radio and the nuclear launch key into her robes. Solo watched her as she walked away, feeling as if there were a rope between them being pulled and pulled until it grew unbearably taut. What would happen, she wondered, if one end were to go slack? Would the other feel it? Or would there be no feeling at all?

Solo watched her until she couldn’t see her anymore through the Fog, and then she kicked at a stone and scowled at the forest around her. It was three forty-seven in the afternoon. In an hour, if she’d heard nothing from Piper, she’d know there was something wrong.

Solo sat down on the edge of the hill to wait, pulling out her combat knives and beginning to sharpen them. With each draw of the stone along her blade, she thought about all she’d be willing to do with them to people inside that base if they hurt Piper. They’d feel her full wrath, for sure.

Three forty-eight. Fifty-nine minutes to go.


	28. The Fall of Atom (Part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper must infiltrate the Nucleus once again and encourage the Children to meet the Division. She has Solo on the outside, and her love over the past few days has made her confident. But she should know better than to think this easy.  
> On this island, nothing goes as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is almost done! I will be getting the final chapters out within this week and the next, so keep tuned for the finale. Solo and Piper's relationship inspired me just as much as Cait and Bianca's did in my previous work, so you can also expect, sometime in the future, to see a third being posted. You may recognize a certain little synth with a French accent...  
> But I'll tell you more about that once this work is finished.  
> Enjoy!

Piper felt her nerves buzzing as she approached the guards at the front of the base. She was wearing her robes, and they had no reason not to let her in unless they recognized her face. To her surprise and relief, the three zealots only looked her up and down, muttered, “Glory to Atom,” and then stepped aside so she could pass.

She returned the praise with a voice that sounded shaky to her own ears, but none of them batted an eyelid. As she swung the door of the base shut behind her, she stood for a moment to stare down the long, dark corridor that led into the main chamber. She felt sickened to be back here; it was like all her nightmares at once were coming true. As the fumes reached her nose, and then her lungs, she coughed and began making her way forwards. There hadn’t seemed to be much change within the base; there were still Children kneeling before the submarine and praying; the stands at the far end were still bustling with life; it was just as shadowed and dim as she remembered, with Fog clouding the ceiling. For a second, she felt dizzy as she remembered how slowly time passed in here.

 _Get ahold of yourself_ , she thought aggravatedly.

She passed into the main chamber and paused to look around. The only person she needed to see now was the High Confessor himself, and she knew he would be inside the submarine where he always was. But before she climbed the bridge, Piper caught sight of the doors far at the end of the chamber, which were thrown wide. The command center was under triple guard now; all three of the zealots stood at the doorway, armed to the teeth with crude weapons. Did they still think there was something in there worth protecting?

Still glancing towards them, Piper stepped onto the narrow walkway and headed over the glowing pools far below to the submarine. Once her feet hit hard metal, she finally tore her eyes away from the command center’s entrance and reached for the rungs of the submarine’s ladder. A voice stopped her.

“You – come here.”

It was a gruff and suspicious voice; Piper turned immediately to see Richter staring at her from his usual post, one hand on his gun. With careful steps, Piper approached him, maintaining impassivity. “Yes, zealot?” she asked politely.

He scrutinized her, face twisted into a slight grimace. “Very odd things have been happening around here,” he said slowly.

“Really?”

“Yes – very odd.” Richter studied her some more, and finally let go of his rifle. “First we wake to find that spies have stolen from us. And then…” His cheek twitched. “ _Then_ I realize you have gone missing, on the same day. We hear nothing from you, for a week and a half…”

Piper hesitated, rapidly fabricating a story in her mind. “I had gone in search of the Mother,” she told him quickly. “She came to me one night, in a dream, and I felt it must be a sign-”

“ _Bullshit_.” Richter’s finger was on the trigger of his rifle again, and his eyes had narrowed.

Stiffening, Piper took a step backwards, but instantly found hands wrapping around her shoulders. She spun in shock, but they held her fast – a second pair grabbed her wrists and yanked them behind her back, holding her still. She struggled anyway, kicking with her feet and crying out, “What are you doing? What is this?”

“ _Traitorous scum!_ ” a voice spat in her ear.

Piper struggled even harder, realizing suddenly what this meant. They had got her – they _knew_ it was her.

Oh, no. No no no no….

Richter approached her and roughly grasped the front of her robes, patting her down with heavy hands. She flinched away from him and tried to kick at his stomach, but he held her fast. So she spat in his face instead.

“You little-”

His heavy hand now slapped her across her cheek, striking her so hard that she thought she saw stars. It was enough to subdue her for a second, giving him time to remove the radio and the launch key from her robes and hold them far out of her reach. Seeing what he had in his hands, she struggled even harder, swearing and kicking at his heels. Again, Richter whirled around, and this time swung a fist against her stomach. She hunched over from the agony, all of the breath leaving her lungs, but the two zealots behind her held her straight. Winded, she feebly attempted to yank her arms free, but they only restrained her further.

“Very nice of you to turn yourself in,” Richter said gruffly. He examined the radio first, and then turned his attention to the nuclear launch key with a perplexed expression. “We have many questions to ask you.”

“I don’t have the answers,” Piper snapped. Her cheek was smarting, and her abdomen was aching, but she straightened and glowered at Richter with all the anger she could muster. “You’ve made a mistake.”

“We’ll see,” he said calmly. He slipped the holotape and the radio into pockets in his armor. To the zealots behind her, he ordered, “Take her inside.”

The moment she felt herself being dragged away, Piper was struck with sudden alarm. She gasped, pressing her heels in the opposite direction in an attempt to slow their progress. Her hands clawed at their arms – she thought she might have drawn blood from one of them – and then she tried to use her teeth as well, biting at them like a feral ghoul. They hit her again and again, but she continued to fight back with renewed vigor each time. She thought of Solo, waiting out there for a message from her, who wouldn’t notice she was missing until forty more minutes had passed. She thought of Nat, who was much further away, sitting at home in Diamond City and probably wondering where she was.

“Wait – stop!” she shouted frantically. “I have something you want – I can-”

Now Richter was in her face, grabbing her jaw tightly with one hand and forcing her to look at him. “If you want to make this less painful,” he said. “Stop struggling.”

“Fuck you!”

He raised his fist, and she felt it slamming across her cheek this time. She cried out, unable to help herself, and tasted blood in her mouth. Perhaps he had even loosened some teeth. Surely everyone else in the chamber could hear her struggling – surely they would come over and try to help? She'd forgotten that this sort of violence was almost commonplace here.

The zealots had her shoved face-first against the railings of the submarine, growling at her to stop fighting back, and she felt like all the hope was draining from her body. There was no one. For the next forty minutes, she was well and truly alone. Hands from above reached down to pick her up, clawing at her hair and her shoulders. She fought them, too, until Richter himself put his arms around her and shoved her towards them. She was yanked down into the submarine by what felt like a thousand reaching hands, all of them touching her greedily. And then, as the door opened, something was pulled down over her head and it all went black.

 ---

The next time she could see again, they had her tied to a chair on one of the lower floors of the submarine. She recognized it from her time snooping on Sister Aubert, but not well enough to know where the exit was. Her whole mouth now tasted metallic, and she felt warm blood dripping from her nose. The moment her eyes had adjusted to the light, Piper glared straight at the closest zealot, and then at Richter. He only smiled back calmly.

“Now,” he said, slowly drawing the gloves from his hands the way a surgeon might after completing a tricky operation. “Like I said, we only have a few questions. If you answer them correctly, we won’t have to hurt you anymore. You may see High Confessor Tektus, and he will decide what happens to you.”

“Fuck you,” Piper muttered again.

Richter balled the gloves in his fist, and – even though Piper had known it was coming – the punch to her stomach hurt much more than she’d expected it to. She hunched over, groaning against the pain, until someone grabbed her hair and yanked her upright again.

Richter crouched a little to look her in the face. “Did you manage to get into the command center?” he asked. “Did you steal the files?”

“What command center?” she replied insolently. “What files?”

Again, there came a punch to her gut, though she noticed it was less hard this time, and held onto that as comfort. The air around her already smelled rusty with blood, and there were several zealots standing around watching her. They looked like a pack of hungry wolves, eyes shining in the near-darkness.

“Did you steal the files?” Richter asked again.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He nodded to someone behind her, and she flinched as she heard the loud _snap!_ of a baton extending. Something thick and heavy was pressed against her shoulder – folded fabric, she thought it was – and then the baton was steadied against it.

 _You’ve been through stuff like this before_ , she thought to herself. _You can take it – you can take anything they do to you._

Quickly and ruthlessly, the baton was swung back, and she heard the whip of it in the air moments before it struck her shoulder.

The pain, even through the thick fabric, made her wonder if the bone was broken. It blossomed through her chest and made her choke on her own breath, darkness flooding her vision. Any thoughts of endurance seemed suddenly washed away.

The fabric was removed, and this time placed against her knee, giving her little time to recover. She stared down at it dazedly, and then at the zealot beside her, who had the baton tightly clenched in one fist. Her shoulder was growing numb.

“Where are the files?” Richter asked, leaning to look Piper in the eye again. “What did you do with them?”

Piper glanced at the fabric on her leg again, and then at the zealot with the baton. Clenching her jaw in readiness for the pain, she met Richter’s eyes and shook her head.

This time, when the baton came down over her knee with a muffled _crack!_ , she cried out and hunched over again, feeling as if she needed to protect the flaring wound somehow. Hands yanked her backwards by her hair, and Richter placed a hand at her throat. Her knee was throbbing so hard that she wondered if she was ever going to be able to walk again.

“What’s the point of lying?” he demanded. “You know you’ll die anyway, for what you’ve done.”

Piper raised her head, looked at him levelly, and then murmured, “What was on those computers… none of it belonged to you. There was nothing to steal.”

“But you took them?” he growled. “You took the files?”

She hesitated, thinking only that she needed to stall for time. “I don’t know what files you’re talking about.”

Richter squeezed her neck so tightly that he cut off her breathing; she wheezed for a long few seconds, gasping for oxygen, as he gave her a murderous look. And then he drew away and nodded at the zealot beside her. “Maybe three more strikes. Do her elbows first, and then her face.”

Piper watched the zealot place the fabric against the point of her elbow, and the expectation of the pain almost brought her to tears; she closed her eyes, gasping.

 _This can’t be happening_ –

When the baton struck her elbow, she thought it must have turned inside out. Tears of pain had begun to leak from her eyes, and she jerked in the opposite direction, so winded that she was unable to cry out. Her knee and shoulder were so numb she could no longer feel them, and her elbow was throbbing agonizingly. Richter was smiling coldly at her.

“You can make it stop at any time,” he said smoothly. “Just tell me what you did with the files that were on that computer.”

The fabric was moved to her other elbow, and the baton readied over it. She didn’t think she could take anymore, not without passing out.

But she did.

The pain blended into the rest of it, becoming some sort of foggy blur about her vision. She tried to think about what she’d come here to do, but it was too hard at this point to clear her mind. Finally, the fabric was pressed roughly against her check, and she knew that her jaw was about to be broken. Could a stimpack repair that sort of injury? Would she be able to talk again, or eat on her own? More tears leaked from her eyes, and she tried to remember…

“Wait!” she gasped.

Richter immediately lifted a hand, making the zealot stop mid-swing. “Do you have something to say?” he asked slyly.

“I don’t have them,” she murmured. She rested her head back against the chair, staring up at the red-rusted ceiling. “I don’t have your files. But I have something else – something I…. I know Tektus wanted all along.”

“How would you know what the High Confessor wants?” Richter scoffed.

“The holotape,” she said. “He wants the tape you found on me.”

Richter grasped her chin and made her look straight at him. “You know you don’t deserve Atom’s mercy,” he said quietly. “Think you know pain already? I’ll give you much more – so much that you can’t bear to be awake. But if you try to sleep, or you pass out, I’ll pump you with psycho and jet and every other drug we have at hand. I will make you _suffer_.”

Piper only looked at him levelly. “I’ll speak to the High Confessor. No one else.”

He searched her eyes for a long second, and she almost thought she saw a flicker of curiosity in his expression. He smiled tightly and drew back. For a few seconds, he only stroked a hand over his beard, apparently deep in thought. “The High Confessor is busy right now,” he said finally. “Perhaps he can come to you when he’s free. Meanwhile…”

With a terse nod, he gestured for the zealot at her side to continue. The fabric was placed against her face again, and she winced, making sure not to grit her teeth too hard in case she lost them. When the swing came down, the sound seemed to echo around her head like it was a huge chamber. She was dizzy, and her sight was out of wack, but she clearly heard the dry chuckles from the zealots around her. They were _laughing_ at her.

 _How could I ever have thought you didn’t deserve to die?_ she thought angrily, glaring at all of them through her blurred vision.

What time was it? How long until Solo was forced to risk her life to get in here, killing anyone in her way? It must have been forty minutes already. Was she already here?

The baton treatment continued for a long while, long enough that they ran out of joints and began beating her thighs and stomach instead. Piper didn’t care anymore. She couldn’t feel any of it.

Was that bad? Should she be feeling this? They were smart enough to be using the fabric as padding, so they didn’t break any of her bones. But that only meant they wanted her to be receptive to pain for a long, long time.

Sweat and blood was running down her neck and soaking the collar of her robes, but there was no one to mop it away – all the zealots were either completely silent or mumbling prayers. It never ceased to amaze her just how horrible people could be to one another.

Eventually, as her head lolled back and she lost the ability even to react to each strike, the zealot stopped and grabbed something off a nearby table; the needle glinted brightly in the gloom. Piper let loose a groan of effort as she tried to twist away from it. Pain… more pain. She wasn’t sure if she could take it anymore. In the end, it wasn't dying that scared Piper, but pain. She wasn’t over it. She never would be. She wanted to see her little sister grow to be a woman…

The needle was inserted roughly into the side of her neck, and she gasped as she felt the drug immediately taking effect. It warped and coloured her vision so that every detail of the room around her suddenly came into focus and caught her eye. Nothing went unnoticed – every movement from the zealots made her swing her head to stare at them. They feinted towards her, and she flinched back, giving them more to jeer about. One of them pretended to swing a punch, and she jerked away from them to avoid it before quickly realizing she was being tricked. They laughed – and kept on laughing, like a faithful audience.

Worse even than her hyper senses was the dreadful beating of her heart, hammering inhumanly fast inside her chest, making her feel like a frightened little rabbit. The sensation was nauseating, mixed with the spreading numbness of her wounds.

Richter had left some time ago – when had that been? Time passed so slowly here; there was no daylight, and no clocks. She would suffer and suffer for eternity. She would eventually plead for them to just kill her, in any way possible. But they would show her no mercy. She was here with strangers, Children who she didn’t recognize at all. Twice, in her drug-driven frenzy, she thought she saw the faces of Sister Aubert and Gwyneth watching her from the walls. She thought she saw Solo, too, standing among them and laughing, making bets on how long she would survive. She saw Nat’s hand clutched tightly in the fists of one of the zealots, and the little girl was staring at Piper with wide eyes.

_When are you coming home? Piper, please come home._

Piper could feel her cheek getting wet with tears. She didn't remember crying for pain for the last few years of her life, but she was doing it now. The tears only made the zealots jeer at her. No questions were being asked anymore; they were just pointlessly beating her for the sake of it, for the sake of making her suffer.

Finally, when even the psycho wouldn’t make her respond to their abuse, she suddenly felt the bindings being unwrapped from around her arms and her legs; she was lifted from the chair like a ragdoll, gasping at the buckling pain, and then pressed hard against a wall. They grabbed her arms, tied a rope around her wrists to bind them together, and then hooked them onto a pipe in the ceiling above. They tightened the rope to make her stand straight as all the muscles in her body quivered and ached. After a few seconds, she realized what new sort of torture this was. Her arms ached even harder. No matter how she moved them, they were impossibly numb. Someone could cut them off and she wouldn’t feel a thing. She was exhausted. There was no way to sleep standing upright, and no way to relieve the pressure that had been placed on her legs. No food. No water. Several of the zealots had left already to continue their jobs around the base; only her torturers remained, smiling at her as she shifted and struggled. They placed their hands on her every once in a while, hitting her and slapping her, sometimes just digging their fingers into the bruised flesh.

Another eternity passed.

Finally, there was a loud chorus of murmurs, and the zealots stepped back from her, turning to the door of the room. Piper tried to swallow down some of the blood in her mouth, head lolling against one hoisted arm, her brain abuzz with the feel of agony.

Stop, stop, stop, stop…

“Greetings, my child,” came a familiar, slick-sounding voice.

Piper couldn’t even lift her head to face him. She only let out a groan and winced as one of the zealots slapped her hard across the face. They lifted their hand for another slap, but then stopped, apparently standing down.

“No need for that anymore,” Tektus said, striding over.

Finally, she could see his face through the blur of her tears, smiling curiously in the darkness. Richter wasn’t with him, and neither was Solo.

“If you’d only told us sooner, dear child, you wouldn’t have had to go through all of this. Very foolish of you.”

Piper couldn’t speak; she looked on mutely, licking blood from her lips.

“The key to Division,” he murmured, staring at her. “You have brought it to me.”

And then he raised the holotape that Richter had removed from her robes. “To experience instant rebirth as incalculable new worlds… well, there are few gifts greater. You knew, coming back here after your betrayal, that I would want this?”

Piper slowly nodded her head.

“Curious.” He lowered the holotape and then lightly touched her face with one dry hand. “You came here under the guide of the Mother of the Fog; you entered the command center against all odds, while the rest of us had tried and failed; now, you bring to us one of Atom’s most sacred gifts in the palm of your hand.” He paused. “Who _are_ you?”

There was no answer which would help him understand. “Piper,” she rasped finally. “I’m Piper.”

“Well, you’re very lucky, Piper,” Tektus said. “As you have brought me this, I am willing to overlook the matter of your betrayal. After all, Atom must have chosen you and sent you to us for a reason…”

He nodded at the zealots beside her, and they immediately untied the rope from the pipe above. She fell with no way to protect herself from the hard metal grating, and felt the skin of her knees break beneath her robes. Rolling onto her side, she clutched them close to her chest as the pain wore away, drawing air into her lungs in huge gulps. Everything was white with agony, especially now that the feeling was returning to her body. They hadn’t broken her, but they had left lasting damage in the shape of bruises and lesions all over her flesh. She ducked her head as more tears fell from her eyes, waiting for the pain to end. But again she was lifted by rough arms, forced to stand straight as Tektus touched her face lightly, the way any other priest might before he blessed her.

“I know you worked for the synth,” he said in a low voice. “The real reason you brought the key to me – DiMA wants us gone, doesn’t he?”

Piper could hardly breathe, but she forced herself to speak: “DiMA’s dead.”

“Dead?” Tektus frowned, taken aback. “This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“It was… a couple days ago.” 

“Ah.” Again, he stroked her face, and she trembled and tried to flinch back from it. The zealots held her fast. “So you want us gone? You risked yourself bringing this to me, because you thought it would clear the island of Atom’s devoted?”

Piper had no idea how much time had passed since they had caught her; she only knew that it must have been the hell of a lot longer than forty minutes. She only knew that Solo hadn’t arrived, and perhaps never would. The thought made more tears gather in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall this time. Whatever Solo’s absence meant…

No. No more stalling. She would get out of here, one way or another.

“I figured it’s what you want, too,” Piper said, steeling herself. “Division.”

“We have all been waiting for it, it’s true.” Tektus finally stopped touching her face, and turned to examine the holotape. “But this island. Atom’s Kingdom. We have been given stewardship of this place. To abandon it… it would be an affront to everything He has granted us. Such a grand Division is not our family’s path.”

Piper paused, and then said dryly, “You should reconsider your stance.”

The High Confessor chuckled. “Really? And hearing that from you should carry weight, should it?”

Saying nothing, Piper lowered her head. And then, after a moment’s thought, she said firmly, “I have brought the key to you because of Atom. Not because of DiMA. The nuke is the true path to Him – don’t you see that He’s sent me to tell you this?”

“He… sent you…?” Tektus looked uncertain.

“This was a test,” Piper added, building upon the myth. “Atom sent me here to test you. Do you really want to dishonor Him by failing?”

There was a great silence on all parts – even the zealots around her had grown still. She remembered the same sort of silence several years back, when she’d been sitting on the edge of a pipe in a sewer below Bunker Hill, waiting to get a boot between her shoulder blades. Her gift of gab had worked then, hadn’t it?

Now, however, High Confessor Tektus only let his scraggly eyebrows lower, and he raised the holotape between them. “If Atom had sent you,” he said. “You would have brought this to me immediately.”

Piper swallowed, and in that split-second saw what he was going to do; she saw his fist tighten, and the holotape already beginning to crack down one side. He would crush it in his fist, and then this would all be for nothing.

She acted without thinking, even though she knew her whole body was too weak and injured for an attempted escape. With surprising strength, she ripped her arms free from the zealots on either side of her, lunging at the High Confessor and snatching the tape from him with both hands. He flinched back from her, giving her the space she needed to stumble out of the way of reaching hands and throw herself at the room’s entrance.

She slammed the hatch shut behind her the moment she was through, ignoring the pain that radiated from both knees as she crouched there, pushing with all her might. Already, her hands were spinning the rusted wheel to fasten the door, and she heard fists and feet smashing into it on the other side. The reedy sound of Tektus’s voice reached her ears, and she immediately abandoned the wheel, stumbling backwards. As she ran, she kept the holotape clutched carefully in the circle of her sweaty, bleeding palms, gasping her pain with each step.

The pain in her body wasn’t sharp like a needle point or a knife; it burned around her innards better than boiling water. Everything felt scalded and, whether she moved or not, she was in more pain than she could have ever imagined was possible. A bullet would be mercy.

 _Blue, where the hell are you?_ was the thought that kept on ringing throughout her mind. Solo had left her here, or had been unable to find her, or had been killed at the entrance. She longed for her presence; for the hard, deadly look in her eye; or even just the sight of bleached-white hair at the end of one of these long passages.

But she was nowhere.

Piper was forced to duck into a different passage as she saw Children up ahead, again slamming the door shut behind her and fastening it. She was heading downwards, far into the depths of the ship, where she had found Sister Aubert’s bunk. She was going to find the engine room, or the control room. Somewhere she could use the key.

If Solo wasn’t here, and if Tektus wouldn’t accept Division, then she would blow the base up herself. After everything they had done to her, she surely wouldn’t back down now. Piper had always been brash, and some even called her crazy. She'd always thrown herself into danger head-first, if only because she was used to getting out alive. She was good at it.

The stairs, when she ran down them, seemed to collapse from beneath her, but she knew it was only because her legs were ceasing to work properly. She fell several times, and then clawed her way up, gasping, still holding the holotape. She sprinted past Children on their way back from prayer, all of them surprised to see her in such a hurry, her face coated in blood and tears.

She kept on going down, and down, and the further she went the more she thought of Solo. It felt as if something were pulling on her as distance was built between them, like a rope being stretched taut. If the feeling spoke for anything, it meant Solo was still alive somewhere, maybe up above in the submarine base, fighting her way inside.

Piper wanted it so badly. She wanted to make it; to insert the holotape into the computer and initiate the startup sequence for the explosion. She had no idea how it worked, and if there would be some button to press, or lever to pull. But she could almost feel it between her fingers – a thin sliver of success, glinting up ahead.

Finally, she had reached passages that seemed familiar to her, but at every corner she thought she could hear pounding footsteps far behind her as the zealots and Tektus gave chase. The Fog seemed to get thicker, too, as if Atom were really on their side.

Piper put on a burst of speed, shoving two Children out of the way and entering a small chamber filled with banks of computers. She knew with one glance that this must be it. She swung the door shut behind her and used weak, trembling arms to lock it. With the other door, she did exactly the same, sweating from the effort and leaving blood on the handles. And then she stumbled towards the terminals, searching for one that was working, desperately glancing back over her shoulder to see if they had arrived at the doors already.

She finally ended up at the terminal nearest the doors and paused to stare down at them. The banks of machines here had a single slot in them, with a shape like it needed a key to fit inside it. Piper raised the holotape to her face, and then had an odd idea. She pressed the small white button on the side of it. It slid open, but not to reveal the circuitry and audio tape inside it that she had expected – instead, there was a small green disk with a jutting sliver of metal on one end. Not a holotape after all, then. A key – an actual key. Her instincts had proven to be correct.

Smiling wildly, as if she truly were crazy, Piper dropped the case and quickly inserted the key into the odd-shaped hole, stepping back as the computer booted up automatically. The key twisted in the slot and was drawn inside, and lines of code began to show on the terminal screen, rushing past too fast for her to read. And then, with a loud hum, the whole system came to life and red lights began to flash all around her.

“ _Missile launch sequence initiated_ ,” a robotic voice said, coming from the tinny speakers overhead. “ _Lockdown protocol engaged_.”

Her sense of relief was so great that it made her feel faint, so faint that she felt herself buckle to the floor. She fell upon the chair in front of the terminal, grasping for something to help her stand, but it was no use – her vision was already darkening, and the energy was leaking from her body.

 “ _Aft doors sealing in thirty seconds_ ,” the voice overhead said calmly.

Piper struggled frantically – she really did – but it was futile. She was losing consciousness, and she was stuck in the belly of the beast. Without even realizing it, she had sacrificed her own life to destroy the Children of Atom. More tears leaked from her eyes now as she slumped against the chair and felt the red flashing lights on her face. She could hear people shouting far in the distance. How could she have known that one day she'd be lying here, defeated, in a Fog-infested submarine? How could she have told herself, as a little girl, or even as an adult, that this was how her story would end? It wasn't something anybody could have predicted.

Piper slipped from the chair and rolled up in a ball of self-loathing and pain, gasping as she felt her whole body go limp as if paralyzed. Oh, what had she done?

_Nat. Blue._

Finally, her mind tore her from the present, and she let loose a weary sigh as she drifted off into the darkness.


	29. The Fall of Atom (Part II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> War never changes...  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an enjoying climax to write, I'll admit. The thrill of it speaks to me. Hopefully, it'll speak to you, too. After all, after this one, there is only one chapter left that I am inclined to write, and then the journey will be over...  
> Enjoy!

Solo paced for a long time, frustrated and uncertain. The more laps she took back and forth across the clearing, the more she felt that she’d made a terrible mistake. She should never have let Piper go in alone, should she? What hadn’t she fought harder to go in with her? It had only been twenty minutes, and already she could hardly stand still. Had she underestimated how difficult this mission would be?

Solo felt the tension and anxiety build up in her as she stared blankly at the trees around her, her mind full of worry. Before the panic could eat her alive, she managed to catch up on subtle breathing exercises to help her relax. It was a funny thing to remember to do, especially now. Two hundred years ago, in her other life, she’d been taught by nurses how to calm herself when she lost her nerve. She’d been in the emergency room, and Shaun was fighting his way out of her. Nate had been holding her hand, of course, smiling down in encouragement, but even he’d had no idea what to do. Those nurses had saved her life – at least, that’s how it had felt at the time. She’d remembered the breathing exercises ever since, and often they were the only way she could calm herself down when it all got too much. During her first days in the Commonwealth, they had helped her sleep at night.

This panic she felt now was very similar to what she had felt in those first days; thick and nauseating, aching from her stomach to the back of her throat. But she breathed and breathed, and continued to pace, and eventually she could feel her pulse calming a little.

 _Piper will be fine_ , she told herself. Piper knew how to talk herself out of danger, and she had the radio. The lack of news was probably a good sign. Sooner or later, Solo would see her appear out of the Fog above and come running into her arms.

But Piper didn’t appear. Not for the next twenty minutes.

With ten minutes left until Solo was forced to go in after her, she was pacing even faster and breathing even harder. Every few seconds she was glancing up the hill, hoping a figure would be standing there. But still there was no one. She imagined she could still feel the warmth of Piper’s cheek beneath her lips just before they’d parted, smooth and flushed. And the warm smile as she glanced back moments before disappearing into the Fog. She really hadn’t thought it a possibility then that Piper wouldn’t come back. She’d thought it would be easy, that the Children would _want_ to die.

Was she leaving it too late? Should she go in now? What if they’d already caught Piper an hour ago? Where would they be keeping her?

The dread crept over her like an icy chill, numbing her brain. In this frozen state her mind offered her only one thought: now – she had to go _now_. There was no avoiding it, not if Piper was in trouble.

She drew out the old, creased robes she’d had piled at the bottom of her bag and threw them on over her clothes and armor, not caring much about being able to see them underneath. She pulled the knit cap down over her head, tucking every last wisp of pale hair beneath it, and hid her pistol, a stimpack, and several grenades beneath the folds of the robes. Finally, she placed her bag beside Piper’s, kicking it under a carpet of thick, dry leaves. Sure now that she was ready, Solo started up the hill towards the submarine base, her pulse still hammering as she tried to imagine where Piper would be inside. Perhaps she’d just forgotten the time, or the exchange was taking much longer than expected? Maybe the High Confessor had forced her to stay while he set off the launch, or there was some ritual to be undertaken which he wouldn’t let her skip? Or perhaps they had captured her right off the bat, and were keeping her locked up somewhere before they punished her. Solo shivered.

Or had they already killed her?

She approached the guards at the front of the base with confidence in her stride, not wanting to alert them as to how out of place she truly was. They eyed her with more suspicion than she liked, and one of the women even raised her weapon a little. She had a round, mottled face, and eyes like little black coals.

Solo bowed her head. “Glory to Atom.”

The suspicion instantly leaked from their eyes, as if by magic, and they copied her phrase with bowed heads. As she passed them, she couldn’t help but smile at their ignorance, wondering how stupid they must be to let two unfamiliar Children walk into the base, one after another. Solo was certain they had never seen her before, and yet they treated her like one of their own. If only they knew the havoc she was about to wreak in her search for Piper.

The door seemed to swing shut by itself, squeaking and slamming behind her, and Solo felt all the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Inside the base, it was as if the air was charged with electricity. It took her a moment to realize it was her own adrenaline bursting to life inside of her.

All of a sudden it was as if she had arrived in the Institute, and she was stumbling her way through red-flashing corridors towards the generator room. She was reaching into the glowing reactor and attaching the explosive to the metal and then feeling her whole body tear and warp itself apart as she was relayed back to Maxson and the rest of the crew. She was standing on top of the Mass Fusion building, and the whole world below had erupted into flames, her own finger poised over the button. And her heart was in her throat, but she felt disgustingly relieved and triumphant, as if she was no longer Solo Woods, but a Brotherhood soldier through and through…

Solo placed a hand to the wall to steady herself, startled by the memories. This wasn’t like that, was it? The Children of Atom _were_ evil, and they were dangerous to the rest of the island. And Solo wasn’t doing this for the Brotherhood, she was doing it for herself. Right?

There was water dripping from the ceiling above her, rhythmically, generating a melancholic melody. In the distance, she could hear humming and muttering, all of it melding together into a roar of sound which seemed to echo around the chamber. The door hinges were all rusted, and the glass windows were all shattered. An hour ago, Piper had passed through here, and there was no sign of her having made a return. Solo lifted her hand from the wall and felt chalky pieces of plaster on her palm. Hurriedly, she brushed them off, determinedly forcing down the waves of anxiety until they existed only deep in her stomach. There was no time for second thoughts. She and Piper had already told Chase and Captain Avery that they would put their own lives on the line to save them. The anticipation was a nervous kind of energy. It tingled through her like electrical sparks on the way to the ground, gathering in her toes.

She began walking, hand pressing into the pistol at her hip, hidden for now beneath the robes. One false move towards her, and she’d be shooting the next Child between the eyes.

The roar of sound began to surround her as she entered the chamber but none of the Children praying before the submarine moved to stop her; they didn’t even look up. She stared at the great, bulking shape of the submarine in abject horror, pausing at the edge of the bridge. She couldn’t see Piper anywhere, and her chest was beginning to ache with worry. With her feet steady on the metal, she crossed the short bridge to board the submarine, and then paused again. It was as if she didn’t even exist; none of the eyes had turned towards her. Had Piper really come in here? Was this some sort of an illusion?

But Solo recognized the man waiting by the rungs of the ladder; she knew his face, even through the thick layers of paint and dust. He still had the trimmed beard and army-style haircut, like a Brotherhood soldier gone rogue. The zealots with him were the first to notice her presence, looking at her with skepticism, but it was Richter, upon meeting her gaze, that fully showed the suspicion in his face. As she watched, it slowly gave way to recognition, and then to shock.

“I’m looking for someone,” Solo said, making no move towards him. Her voice was loud enough over the din that she knew he could hear her very clearly. “Maybe you can help me.”

His cold eyes searched her for a long time, seeming almost impressed as he took in her robes and the knit-cap covering her hair. The recognition only grew stronger and stronger in his gaze. But he said nothing.

“You know who I am, don’t you?” Solo tightened her hand over the gun at her hip.

“No.” His voice was just as calm as hers was, and he made no move to close the distance between them. Solo felt like she was caught in one of those old Western-movie standoffs, itching to pull her gun but knowing he would be able to pull his faster. She was outnumbered three to one.

“You do,” she insisted. “Don’t you remember telling me to clear out? I guess you thought you’d never see me again.”

He said nothing, but now had the poise of a predator, his shoulders drawn up and his eyes searching her body for signs of danger. The zealots at his side didn’t seem to know what to do, but they had their rifles raised and levelled at her. Solo had nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. Richter knew as well as she did that she had walked into a trap.

“Where is she?” Solo asked.

“Who?”

“I think you know.”

He paused, still searching her body, and then tilted his head in mock surprise. “Perhaps I do.”

“Where is she?” Solo asked again.

“A little tied up.” He didn’t smile, but she could hear the gloating tone in his voice. She felt nauseous, realizing that it was true – he _had_ known what Piper had done, and he’d caught her. He hadn’t known that Solo had been involved, of course, until now. To him, Piper had been the sole perpetrator.

“It wasn’t her, it was me,” Solo said quickly. “I think you know that now.”

“ _You_ stole the files?” He posed the question lightly, head still tilted.

Solo spoke with determination: “I did. I took them. All of them. And then I cleared the whole system so you’d never know. _I_ stole from you. _I’m_ DiMA’s spy.”

She was speaking mainly out of desperation now, for Piper’s benefit. What could they have been doing to her this past hour? She was suddenly painfully aware of the time ticking past, thinking about how much you could hurt a person in a matter of minutes. To break all the bones in a body, you only needed a heavy object and little more than thirty minutes. Would they have done something like that? Were they torturing her?

Her heart began to beat rapidly, and to her dismay, she couldn’t even remember how the breathing exercises went. She couldn’t calm herself down.

“An elaborate scheme,” Richter remarked. “Up until this point, anyway. Why the hell would you even think to come back?”

Solo didn’t reply, only hearing and feeling the quick pulse in her ears and her chest. She wanted to shoot him in the face. She wanted to beat those calm, composed features into a bloody pulp and then leave him there to die. Where was Piper? What had he done to her? Was she still alive? Losing Piper wasn’t something she could completely fathom; it seemed impossible.

“Where is she?” she said again, this time hearing the desperate strain to her voice. She sounded weak. The paralyzing hurt spread through her body like icy, liquid metal. She clenched her fists as she hesitantly took a step towards him, and then another. She noticed her feet tremble. Now, Richter smiled at her, but it was accompanied with the shaking of his head.

“She’s being taken care of – don’t you worry,” he said. “She’s got an important meeting with the High Confessor, one she’s been asking for. You wouldn’t _believe_ how stubborn she is-”

Solo didn't know who threw the first punch, but suddenly her fist was slamming into his face while one of the zealots drove the butt of his rifle into her stomach. Blood pooled in Richter’s mouth as she gagged. And then heavy hands had clutched tight at Solo’s arms and were dragging her fast and hard to the very edge of the platform. She didn’t even bother to struggle, already knowing what would happen next. It was when they paused that she broke out of their grip. With one elbow, she sharply jabbed one of the zealots in the solar plexus, aiming perfectly despite her anger. He gasped and dropped her, and she swung to the other zealot with a knee drawn upwards into his groin. She kneed him again, and then kicked him brutally to the floor. His head slammed hard into the metal, and she moved herself free, turning already to face Richter.

He had his gun aimed right at her. “You shouldn’t have come back,” he said, blood dripping from the corner of his smiling lips. “Stupid, stupid woman.”

And then he pulled the trigger.

Solo felt the full force of the bullet collecting in the center of her chest; he had aimed and struck true. Every cell in her body reeled in shock at the immediate assault and she could do little but stumble for a second, as if the surface beneath her was already slippery with her blood. Some instinctive, well-tuned part of her kept saying, _Not forward. Don’t fall forward!_ And so, awkwardly, with her sight grayed to a pinpoint, she wind milled her arms backwards and collapsed hard against the metal, skidding smoothly over the edge.

She wasn’t even sure she remembered the falling part. Instead, she felt the hard slap of water against her back and then all around her as she went under. Then the black waves folded over her.

 ---

Solo awoke after what could have been seconds, or even minutes. The water enveloped her as closely as her own skin, but somehow she had become caught up on a jutting piece of concrete and her head was bared to the air. She gasped for a long time, feeling like her lungs were crushed inside her chest. Was she dying? Everything was glowing oddly around her. Her Geiger-counter was clicking like crazy – it was the first sound she heard, against all the noise. And then the pain throbbed in her guts, deep and warm, but not in a nice way. It felt like someone had their hand in there and were squeezing her organs.

She scrabbled futilely to grab ahold of something with her numb fingers and finally caught on the piece of concrete she was jammed against. With her other hand, she hurriedly reached for her chest, feeling the blown-apart hole in her robes. The relief she felt when she realized her armor was still intact was like morphine in itself. There was the bullet, flattened and still warm, buried in the chest plate. With her fingertips, she dug it out and held it up before her eyes in the gloom before tossing it into the water. She would have a wicked bruise later on, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t experienced that before. If Richter had aimed for her head instead…

With renewed energy, Solo reached further into her robes, finding that her grenades, ammo and pistol were still there. She drew out the single stimpack, feeling the needle shake in her fingers, and jabbed it hard into her thigh. The medicine flooded through her like honey, warming her stiffening joints and making her sigh. She shoved herself off the concrete pillar and began swimming, hardly pausing to allow herself to heal. Her chest and gut were still aching like hell, but she didn’t care. She had to get up there again. Richter was going to die.

Once she reached the platform beside the water, she could fully feel the effects of the radiation on her. Her whole body was stinging and tingling; there was an ache just beneath her skin. If only she’d brought RadAway or Rad-X with her.

She jogged back up to the main level of the submarine base, taking two steps at a time, ignoring the screams and shouts of the Children who had heard the gunshot and watched her fall to her death, now realizing she was back from the dead. She pulled her pistol from her hip the moment she was on the same level as the rest of them, shoving them out of the way. “I’ll shoot! I’ll shoot!” she shouted. “Get out of my way!”

They did what they were told, stumbling aside and gaping at her like she was a mad woman. Maybe she was. She ran straight for the bridge again and, as she did, she heard the rattling of bullets starting up behind her – they had seen her. Or some other zealots had, and were giving chase. She shot back blindly and returned her attention to the bridge crossing the gap to the submarine. One of the Richter's zealots was still collapsed on the platform, his head having struck the metal so hard that he’d fallen unconscious. The other zealot and Richter himself were only now turning to see her, both in what she was glad to see was absolute shock. They raised their rifles to shoot her, but Solo was already too fast for them.

She fired like her life depended on it, sprinting across the bridge at the same time, and the second zealot fell instantly. Richter, despite the bullets piercing his armor, only drew back and tried to find cover. But it was no use. Solo followed him, still shooting, and eventually one of her bullets pierced his neck through the gaps in his armor. She saw the spray of blood, saw him jerk and look at her in surprise, and then his body fell to the platform with a dull thud. He was still breathing when she reached his side, but they were horrible, labored breaths, and his eyes were already wide and unseeing. She shot him in the head for good measure.

There was nowhere she could imagine Piper being, nowhere but inside the submarine itself. And, God help her, she was going to find her if her life depended on it. And she was going to kill anybody who tried to stop her.

The rungs of the ladder didn’t slow her down; she dragged herself up them and flung herself into the hatch below. And then, after drawing one knife from her boot, she used the same foot to kick the door open. The zealot on the other side only blinked at her in shock, and a second later had a bullet between his eyes. Another on the other side of the room was silenced with two bullets to the arm and chest. Solo moved like a whirlwind, shooting and slicing, drawing blood and cries from every zealot in the room. She shot the Higher Confessor’s empty throne, too, and searched his quarters devotedly before leaving them alone. If even he wasn’t here, then he must be with Piper. And Piper must be somewhere far below in this cramped, damp prison.

She found RadAway beside one of the beds and took it without question, taking her first clear breath since dragging herself out of the water. The thrill of the battle was everywhere in her body, pulsing and racing and making her tingle. She was doing it all for Piper. For the first time, it wasn’t even for herself. 

As Solo descended further into the submarine, screams broke out – they must have all heard the gunshots. One of the Children even dropped to their knees and began to pray to Atom before her. Solo pushed her aside, deflected the baton of another zealot, and stabbed her knife into his neck. He fell with a gurgle, and she ran straight past him.

 _Find Piper, get the launch key, blow up the Nucleus._ She could do it, couldn’t she?

But then she grew confused – she began passing through corridors and passageways that looked exactly the same. She saw the same Children cowering from her, frightened, praying in their beds. Where was she? Where the hell was Piper?

She spun and ran the other way instead until she reached another stairwell, descending again into the belly of the submarine. The lights here were flickering and it was much darker. Her own breath came out in obnoxiously loud pants and her footsteps on the metal grating were deafening. She got lost again, winding her way around the same passage twice, and was forced to stop and catch her bearings, wincing against a painful tug in her chest. The panic was beginning to mount inside of her, a rearing beast. Was Piper already dead? Was this all for nothing? She wondered, as the pain in her chest got worse, if she was actually about to cry. How had she come to feel this much again? How had Piper done this to her? A startling flash of resentment clouded her mind for a split second, but she guiltily cleared it away. It wasn’t Piper’s fault that she had changed; that she was this mad, this terrified, this upset. It wasn’t Piper’s fault that she was so important.

Solo ran on, feeling very much like she had when she’d been sprinting through the Institute, under fire. There were no synths this time to stop her, and no Father waiting to talk with her, sitting in his deathbed with nothing but coldness in his eyes. There was only Piper, wonderful Piper, who _must_ be somewhere here –

She reached the end of another passage and this time saw two zealots attempting to lever open a door at the end. They were halfway done, but heard her footsteps and turned to stare at her. She shot them both, six times, and then approached the door. When she reached the bloody glass, a stab of shock ran through her as she saw the face of an old man gazing back at her. He didn’t recognize her, and she didn’t recognize him. But she knew, from the ridiculous headgear on his head and the coldness to his face, that he was the High Commander. He didn’t seem so high or commanding now. He looked old and frail, looking at her like she was his worst nightmare. She looked past him and saw a mostly empty room, with two zealots pacing about and a chair tied with lengths of rope. But Piper wasn’t in there. Where was she?

Solo paused to stare into Tektus’ eyes again, drawn by him for some reason, wanting to spit at him through the glass, or shoot him. The hatred she felt for him in that moment was debilitating, and she almost considered levering open the door the rest of the way and finishing him off.

The moment was broken by the sudden blaring of an alarm overhead.

“ _Missile launch sequence initiated_ ,” a serene female voice said, echoing throughout the submarine. “ _Lockdown protocol engaged._ ”

The dread ebbed into Solo very slowly, mixed with a curious sense of relief. So Piper had escaped, and she’d made it down to the ship’s command room. She’d done what Solo was supposed to do, all because Solo hadn’t been there to save her.

“NO!” a voice bellowed. She knew it was the High Confessor. He was beating at the door with his fists, expression livid. “In the name of Atom _-_!”

“ _Aft doors sealing in thirty seconds,_ ” the voice overhead said calmly.

Solo was spurred into immediate motion. Should she go outside and wait for Piper, or should she continue to find her? Thirty seconds, and she would be locked in here with the rest of them. She would die with the rest of them.

She ignored Tektus’ shouts and began to sprint, much faster than she had previously, down the only passage she didn’t recognize. She took each twist and turn as if by instinct, hoping to god she wouldn’t get lost again. The voice overhead kept the time.

“ _… twenty-five seconds…_ ”

Solo stumbled down some steps, gasping as she caught her knee on the railing and it blossomed with pain.

“… _twenty seconds_ …”

She already knew as she approached the door ahead of her that it was the one she wanted. She slammed into it with all her force, but it wouldn’t budge. But she could see, through the window, banks of computers and flashing terminals. And when she looked down, she could see a human shape on the floor, curled into a fetal position. Her heart caught in her throat.

“… _fifteen seconds_ …”

Solo grabbed a grenade from beneath her robes, unhooked the pin, and set it in the concave handle of the door. She remembered to stumble backwards hurriedly before it exploded, feeling a quick burst of heat rush down the corridor towards her. She covered her face as she stumbled forwards through the smoke, finding the door had been burst off its hinges into the room beyond. Piper hadn’t been caught by the explosion, but she hadn’t reacted to it at all – Solo fell to her side to find that she was still curled up, arms over her face. She could see blood all over her, and there were bruises already blossoming across her cheekbone and jaw, across the pale skin of her neck…

There was no time to even check her pulse. No time at all to tell her that she was a hero and that everything would be all right. Solo lifted the woman into her arms, struggling slightly under her weight, and then began to half-drag her, half-carry her out of the room.

“… _five seconds_ …”

Everything she’d done seemed futile. She would never make it up three flights of stairs and passageways in five seconds. But she kept on moving, running faster now and pulling Piper further into her arms. Her head was lolling back like the head of a puppet, and she looked almost dead. But Solo wouldn’t believe it. Not now she had her.

She was gasping and almost retching as she scaled the first set of stairs, still carrying Piper safely in her arms, but as she blindly chose a corridor and began to run down it, she heard the voice overhead say something different:

“ _Lockdown complete. Commencing launch in ninety seconds_.”

 _No!_ Solo thought wildly. _Not yet!_

And so, even though she was already aching and falling apart, she sprinted much faster than she ever had before down the passageways, the whole submarine seeming to blur before her. She’d heard the clanging of doors being shut, but she kept on going anyway. All the Children around her were frantic and screaming, but they didn’t seem scared; to the contrary, they were hopeful. They let Solo pass without question or struggle. The silence from the system overhead now was almost overwhelming. How would she know when the missile was about to launch? How long did they have?

She was forced to use another grenade on the last door in their way, which was locking them out of the main hatch of the submarine. It blew shrapnel into her face, but she didn't notice any pain. She shielded Piper’s body with her own and then carried her through the smoke. She almost thought she might pass out as she carried Piper up the ladder and shot the hatch itself to let them out. She fell, Piper on top of her, onto the submarine’s platform, so winded for a second that she couldn’t get up. But the urgency was still there – she could hear more screams now, and a monstrous shape rising out of the gloom from a port in the top of the submarine: a gigantic missile. She felt all the moisture leave her mouth and eyes and wondered if she was reliving a nightmare. It was the same type of missile which had destroyed her old world, and here it was about to destroy her world again.

She couldn’t let it happen.

Solo pulled Piper against her chest and ran again, stumbling over the bridge, almost collapsing as she passed down the short hallway to the submarine base’s entrance. The door was flung wide open and the three zealot guards were there. But they didn’t stop her – they were kneeling and praying to Atom, awaiting their fate.

Solo flew right past them with Piper in her arms, hardly stopping to take a breath of fresh air. Hardly stopping for anything. She just knew she needed to get out of there, get away as fast as possible, so she and Piper wouldn’t be blasted apart by the explosion. But it was pointless, she knew, to believe she’d ever be able to get far enough. Tears leaked from her eyes.

_I’m so sorry, Pipes._

Her eyes caught on a crease in the rocks to her left, the next best thing, large enough to shield behind. She changed direction and sprinted towards it, shoving in Piper first and following her quickly, pressing herself to her body in attempt to shield her from the worst of it. Her arms came up over her head, and her whole body shook in anticipation.

At first, there was a terrible, deathly silence. And then there came a rumble so loud that it shook the very world around them. The actual explosion, when it came, was so deafening that it set Solo’s ears ringing. She flinched hard against the wall of rock behind her, remembering it all – the burst of static and heat in the air; the way the oxygen seemed to be sucked from the atmosphere; the blinding light that made her stiffen in anticipation. And then there came wave after wave of energy and heat, pieces of rock and metal being flung far and wide from the source of the explosion. Solo wasn’t sure if she was screaming against the sound, or if she’d remained completely silent. She couldn’t remember.

Something struck her hard in the back and she thought she cried out, but she couldn’t even hear herself. She just clutched Piper’s body close to her and waited for it to end. The explosion went on for what seemed like forever, continuing to burn her and pelt her with pieces of rubble. She realized she was crying, finally, for real this time. She was sobbing hard, reconciling this explosion with the one that had ruined her life two hundred years ago – the one she had seen clouding the sky with orange moments before she was lowered into Vault 111. She couldn’t fathom how she was still alive now.

And yet… she was.

She cried until she could hear herself doing it, and then she stopped sobbing, but she didn’t try to wipe away the tears.

Solo couldn’t see anything around her; not even the rock before her face. Her back was searing with agony now and she wondered if perhaps a piece of metal had lodged there between her shoulder blades. Would there be anyone left alive after the explosion? Was she to die here with this wound? Piper’s body was still warm, and Solo quickly reached for her face, feeling it beneath her fingertips. She almost sobbed again in relief as she felt warm breath against her skin. Piper was alive, too.

 _I’m alive_ , she thought desperately. _I’m here. I’m alive. We’re both all right._

But she couldn’t say the words out loud. Her throat didn’t seem to be working properly anymore. The dust began to settle, and Solo found herself looking straight up at the sky. It was beginning to clear already, but there was still ash and smoke falling from it, like snow. Still grey, still thick with Fog. Had anything really changed? Was it possible that they had actually succeeded?

She felt soot blanket her face, but couldn’t be bothered to tilt her head away. Instead, she closed her eyes, tightened her hold on Piper, and surrendered herself to the darkness that was closing in.

 ---

Solo wasn’t sure what she remembered, really. Perhaps, when she woke up, she’d imagine it and say it was all a dream. But she recalled while she was deep in her slumber that there were hands pulling her from her cozy little rock crevice. She recalled them touching her face and her clothes, rolling her over and checking the wound on her back. She’d tried to wake up, but all she’d seen was a blur of unusual faces above her, and had to close her eyes again. If she’d believed in an afterlife, she would have thought she was dead.

The next time she surfaced enough to know what was going on, she was being carried further away from the rubble of the base. She remembered calling Piper’s name, asking if she was all right, and not being answered. The hands had been gentle with her, though. She wondered, again, if she had died and this was the afterlife. All that, and she had still died anyway? She would have laughed at herself if she could summon the effort. At least it had been a heroic death of sorts; she’d take comfort in that.

Again and again she surfaced from her sleep, once to find her face pressed to the stony ground, her eyes on the flames that remained of the submarine base; another time, she awoke to find she was sitting up against a tree and had a bottle of water being pushed against her lips. She could still see flames and smoke in the distance. She hadn’t gone far – whoever it was had only been trying to remove her from the explosion radius. Solo drifted off again with the taste of clean water on her tongue.

Finally, she woke up to what surely must be the most wonderful view of all her life. Piper was crouching before her with her hands gentle on her face, smiling wryly.

“Blue,” was all she said.

She stroked a finger over Solo’s cheek, almost in amazement. After everything that had happened, Piper was here with her. She wasn’t alone. How could she be so lucky?

There were harsh bruises all over Piper’s face, and her nose and lip looked swollen and bleeding. Solo wanted to ask what they had done to her, was about to say she’d kill them for it, but then she remembered that she already had. And then she wanted to laugh.

Instead, leaning her head back, Solo drifted away again into the darkness.

 ---

There eventually came a time where Solo had a more certain grip over her consciousness. She woke up feeling nauseous and aching all over. She was suddenly aware that she was still leaning against a tree, and there was a bottle of water beside her. The day had been plunged into darkness. A small lantern was sitting by her feet. She blinked confusedly at a grinning face by her side; an old, weathered face. In both confusion and surprise, she turned to stare at him. “… Old Longfellow?”

He looked rather cheerful tonight, his eyes gleaming. “How’s it goin’?” he said.

“How-”

“Avery sent out a party soon after you left, and I thought I should come along. And the synths of Acadia did, too – can you believe it? About ten of ‘em showed up after we did.” He shook his head and glanced towards the glowing orange of flames in the distance. “They’re all down there right now, searching the wreckage. I said I’d keep you company.”

Solo’s mind was too slow to process this for a second. There had been parties sent out from both Far Harbor _and_ Acadia to find them? How would they have known…?

“You saw the explosion,” she said, understanding.

“I don’t think anyone on this island _didn’t_ see it,” Old Longfellow remarked. “But yes. We were already on our way, and it rushed us along. When we found you, we thought you might be long dead.”

Solo let out a dry chuckle, surprising herself with her own mirth. She swallowed. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

“Thank _you_ ,” he countered. “The rest of us’ve been dragging our heels for so long, but you finally did what had to be done. It’ll never be forgotten.”

Solo lowered her head and didn’t reply to that. She felt dizzy and confused, like she’d taken a drug that didn’t agree with her. It felt wrong to be sitting here. She felt like something was missing, and it worried her. 

Where was Piper?

Struck by a sudden panic, Solo tried to push herself to her feet and stand to look for her. Old Longfellow moved to stop her, but she weakly pushed him away. “Piper? Where’s Piper?” she demanded.

There were startling footsteps off to her right, and then an equally frantic and tearful voice called, “I’m here!”

Solo thought she would start crying again, for absolutely no reason at all other than to see Piper limping quickly towards her, alive and well. The reporter instantly pulled her into a bear hug once she was close enough, falling by her side. Solo rested her head against Piper’s shoulder and sighed in relief, holding her so tightly that it was a wonder she heard no protest. Old Longfellow, she realized, had moved off down the hill to give them some privacy. She smelled the leather of Piper’s coat and realized she had changed out of those old robes. Solo was still wearing hers. Solo touched her hair, and then the bruises on her neck, finally cupping her face and smiling in amazement at the closeness of her. “You’re here,” she said. “We’re alive.”

“Thanks to you.” Piper pulled back and looked at her like she had before, with an air of astonishment. “I thought... I thought I was gonna die.”

“Me too.” Solo still held her close, not strong enough to let her go just yet. All that time they’d had Piper and had been hurting her, and she hadn’t known. Her breath hitched. “I’m so sorry…”

“No, don’t say that,” Piper said firmly. She clutched Solo’s hand, leaning in to press their foreheads together. Her eyes were shining now, just like Solo’s were, and they were both trembling ever so slightly.

They were here and they were both alive – Solo couldn’t stop marveling at it.

“Is it over?” Solo found herself asking. The words seemed silly, somehow, in the silence. Far in the distance she heard voices shouting to one another. They were the voices of synths and humans working together to uncover bodies in the wreckage, regardless of what they thought of each other. Peace found in violence.

Piper was silent for a long time, thoughtful. “It’s over, Blue,” she said finally. “We’re going home.”


	30. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that everything is over, Piper and Solo can resolve the Nakano case and return to the Commonwealth.

Solo and Piper returned to Far Harbor as heroes. There wasn’t one person who hadn’t heard about what they’d done to the Children of Atom. Even Allen, reluctantly, came over to give them a pat on the back and word of thanks, though he made sure to mention that he’d have ended up doing the same thing anyway if they hadn’t.

It was all like a dream.

Captain Avery had a surprisingly somber conversation with them when they stopped by her home. She was glad they had succeeded, of course, but it would now be time for her to decide how she’d deal with her own secret. Piper was unable to advise her on what to do, but she noticed Solo gave her plenty of words about it: Acadia would be open for her, she’d said. Any synth was welcome. Captain Avery thanked them and they moved on, not wanting to spend too much time with anyone in town. They’d be back in about a day, anyway, with Kasumi in tow. _That_ would be when they say their proper goodbyes.

Old Longfellow was waiting for them in The Last Plank, and he along with about five other fishermen offered to buy them each a round of drinks. Piper would have said no; despite the stimpacks, her bruises weren’t fully healed yet, and she wanted to move on as quickly as possible. But when Solo squeezed her hand and sat down at the bar, she gave in automatically. They drank until they could feel the buzz in their veins and then, in high spirits, Old Longfellow said he would accompany them to Acadia for the last time. They agreed, but only because of what he’d done for them at the Nucleus, pulling them from the ruins of the submarine base. He was a good man, and he was easy to talk to. Why not enjoy their final journey up to the observatory?

Their journey happened to be just as much fun as their first one; they came across Trappers on one of the first paths they crossed and got into a rather bloody fight. Solo was clipped in the shoulder and Piper almost got shot in the leg. But after the fall of the Children, neither of them moped for very long over these wounds. Piper helped Solo with a stimpack, and then they were moving again. The light was at the end of the tunnel for good this time and they were adamant to reach it.

Outside the observatory, Old Longfellow said his goodbyes, shaking their hands, and said they wouldn’t see him when they returned to Far Harbor the next morning. Piper gazed at his weathered old face and was suddenly gleeful – not only because she knew they’d be leaving this place behind, but because she realized she’d made a friend in him. And she’d made allies in people like Chase, Faraday, Captain Avery, the Mariner…

Maybe, one day, she would want to come back here and see these people again. They would be a reminder of the adventure which had changed her so monumentally. She would come back to the cold and the Fog for them, if for nothing else.

Solo and Piper entered the observatory and found Chase and Faraday at the end of the hall, as usual. They each shook Chase’s hand while she thanked them for their good work, and then they thanked her in return for sending in her rescue party. Even Faraday was smiling throughout this encounter, though Piper could tell he was still bitter about DiMA’s loss. Finally, Chase told them where they could find Kasumi.

“You’re welcome here anytime,” she said. “And if you come across any synths out there in the Commonwealth, tell them that this could be their home. We’re waiting with open arms.”

“We will,” Solo said, smiling.

Piper wondered, not for the first time, what Solo would do about the Brotherhood once they had returned. She couldn’t exactly hide from them; the soldiers came by Diamond City often enough for supplies, and they’d be bound to notice her. Perhaps she’d have to take a trip to the Prydwen after a couple of weeks, to resign like she’d said she would.

Would they let her? Would she be punished for disappearing off the map for so long? And would they be suspicious that she’d changed so much?

They headed down into the basement of the observatory, knowing that Kasumi would be in exactly the place they had last seen her. She looked much gaunter now, and her dark eyes were tired, but she beamed when she noticed their entrance.

“I knew it! You’re back!” she exclaimed, dropping her tools. And then she sobered up unexpectedly. “I heard DiMA’s gone. You found out the truth, and he’s paid for it. We… did the right thing, didn’t we?”

“He had to answer for what he did,” Solo told her reassuringly.

Kasumi’s eyes narrowed almost cunningly. “Since you’ve kept me in the dark for so long, why don’t you tell me what it was he did? Was it as bad as I said it was?”

“It’s… over,” Solo said bluntly. “That’s all you need to know.”

Kasumi sighed, though she made no move to argue.

Piper cut in: “Unless you’d brought it up all those weeks ago, Kasumi, we’d never have been able to make this island a safer place. So… thank you.”

Kasumi was taken aback, but a faint flush rose to her cheeks. “It seemed important,” she said. “I’m glad I was able to help. But I wasn’t the one who made DiMA answer for his crimes. And I didn’t get rid of the Children of Atom. That was all you guys.”

Piper smiled. “You know, there’s only one thing left now, Kasumi.”

Kasumi nodded, ducking her head to examine her grease-stained hands. “Listen, when you first showed up to take me home, I didn’t know what I wanted. I didn’t know what I was. But I’ve been thinking a lot about that…” Her lips pulled down at the corners. “I hurt Kenji and Rei by leaving, didn’t I? I could’ve just stayed at home, pretended everything was all right, but I left them.”

“Kasumi-”

“Should I go back? I mean, they obviously still care about me… or who they think I am. They need a daughter. They deserve to have one. And everything in Acadia has been settled – I found my answers.” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s time I did something for someone else.”

Solo frowned. “Kasumi, what do you mean?”

She wrung her hands and sighed, not answering for a long moment. Finally, she muttered, “I know the real Kasumi is dead. She was replaced with me. But do Kenji and Rei really need to know that? What if… we could be a family again?”

Piper stared at her for a long time and was surprised to feel a tugging pity in her gut. She looked into Kasumi’s young, miserable face, and she only saw an upset woman. A human woman, at that. She’d seen the same thing in Captain Avery’s face.

What was it to be human, really?

She was sure that there was nothing more human than feeling love. It was human to be scared, or to be brave – to run away like Kasumi did in order to find answers. And it was human to feel a connection to others, to grieve for things that once were. Therefore, it didn’t matter whether Kasumi was a synth or not. Her humanity expanded beyond what her biological makeup was. Whether she had a chip planted in her brain or not, whether she could age or not, she deserved the same life as any other young woman in the Commonwealth.

And so Piper stepped forward, and said, “Kasumi, please listen to me. You’re not a synth. You’re the real Kasumi. You’re their daughter.”

Even Solo was staring at her now; did they think she had proof? Did they think she was bluffing?

“I’ll never really know. That’s the thing, isn’t it?” Kasumi sighed. “That idea is always going to be there, somewhere at the back of my mind.”

“But you’re real enough, aren’t you?” Piper insisted. “Maybe that’s all anyone can be sure of.”

Kasumi paused for a while, considering her words. Finally, she told them, “I need to start packing. And I should say goodbye to everyone.”

Solo and Piper exchanged a look of relief.

“Take all the time you need,” Solo said. “We’ll be waiting upstairs.”

They turned without another word, aiming to return to the main room of the observatory. As they walked up the stairs, Piper felt the warmth of Solo’s hand grace the small back and turned to see an appreciative look in her eyes. “You know,” Solo said thoughtfully. “We should really start telling people that it was _you_ who got rid of the Children of Atom. You’re the real hero, aren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t even be alive if not for you,” Piper scoffed, made shy by her reverential tone.

“But you still would have succeeded.” Solo stopped them both in the stairwell and leaned in to press her hands. “Now we’re even, huh? We’re both saviors of the Commonwealth. How does it feel?”

Piper smiled despite herself. “It doesn’t feel any different than before.”

“That’s how I felt, after the Institute was gone.” Her grey eyes grew cloudy and distant. “I’d been desperate for something to change, to be satisfied for once, but I felt exactly the same.” She paused. “You’re not… upset, are you?”

“What? No, of course not,” Piper said quickly.

“Good.” Solo stooped to kiss her, her lips cool and soft. “And you don’t think… we could have done things differently? Do you think the Children deserved what happened?”

They had talked about this, of course, while returning back to Far Harbor with the rescue party. But the idea was evidently still stark on Solo’s mind.

Piper looked away. “I don’t know. We can’t go back and change it, can we?” She caught herself. “This… this is how you felt when the Institute was destroyed. Isn’t it?”

“ _Exactly_ this,” Solo confirmed.

“We’ll live with this sort of thing for the rest of our lives,” Piper continued ominously. “Who knew there was such a price to being a hero?”

“At least we have each other.”

“Yeah.” Piper reached out and squeezed her hand. Even the dimness and damp air of the stairwell could do nothing to suppress her happiness at Solo’s words. “We do.”

 ---

Their boat ride at midday was a lot less choppy than it had been the last time – or maybe Solo was just being extra careful because she knew Piper might get seasick – but either way, Piper was enjoying the wind in her hair, trying to forget the fact that she was hovering over impenetrable depths of sea. Kasumi was in the cabin with Solo, both of them poring over the controls, exchanging terminology she didn’t understand, and she smiled to hear both of them sounding so enthusiastic. Again, she wondered if she would ever properly hear about Solo’s father, who had taught her everything about boats. She wondered if she’d learn about Solo’s childhood in Boston before the war.

She wondered and wondered.

The sun was much more visible the further away they got from Far Harbor. And the waves became smooth and flat, putting up no resistance to the boat’s engine. Piper rested her chin on one knee and stared at the sky, watching the Fog fade and brighten until she could actually see the shape of the sun up there, glowing like a gem. She could hardly believe that they were actually on the way home. How was it possible that she had so much more now than what she’d left with?

They seemed to sail for hours, but Piper passed the time by closing her eyes and imagining what it would be like when she got home. She thought of the tight pressure of Nat’s arms around her and the stories she would tell her, and smell of ink and paper. Her own bedroom, and her printing press, and her terminal…

Happiness was rising inside of her again, and she didn’t bother to push it back down. Having Solo with her would only double the happiness, she was sure. She couldn’t wait to have the other woman in her bed, sitting around her house, getting chummy with Nat. It was still like a distant dream.

When they slowed, arriving at the Nakano residence, Piper let out a cheer. Kasumi echoed it, seemingly excited to be home despite her anxiety about seeing her parents again. Solo only smiled and continued to steer the ship towards the docks. She was back in her knit-cap and bomber jacket, somehow looking exactly like she had on their first ever journey together. Piper marveled at what they had become.

As they climbed onto the dock and Kasumi and Solo worked on securing the ship with ropes, Piper stared up at the old fishing house before her. There was no sign of Kasumi’s parents through the windows, but she was certain they must be inside. Before she could hazard a guess as to where, Kasumi streaked right past her and ran across the patio to the front door. She let herself in without hesitation.

“Mom! Dad! I’m… I’m home!”

As Piper and Solo moved quickly to join her, they heard running feet on the stairs. “Kasumi?” a woman’s voice cried.

Piper rounded the doorway and saw Kasumi enveloped in her mother’s arms. She smiled over her shoulder at them, looking awkward.

“Oh my God, my baby is okay!” Rei Nakano gasped, still clutching her.

A voice startled them all, coming from the kitchen. Kenji Nakano, his face even paler and sallower than before, stepped up to greet her as well. “Welcome back home, Kasumi.” His voice was shaking slightly as he joined the hug, holding his daughter tight.

“It’s good to be home,” Kasumi said, her voice sounding strange. She wiggled out of their grip, however, and Piper could see she was still struggling with her identity. It would take a while, but… as long as her parents accepted her, she would get through it.

Kenji Nakano turned to Piper and Solo instantly, his eyes full of gratitude. “You saved my daughter,” he said graciously. “Thank you.”

“Happy to do it, Kenji,” Piper beamed.

His voice began wavering again, and he had to grip the back of a chair to steady himself. “You don’t often see kindness in the Commonwealth. I’ll never forget this.”

“If any of you ever need help again, you know where to find us,” Solo told him. “Valentine’s Detective Agency is still open for business.”

Kenji Nakano bowed his head respectfully.

“Kasumi, does this mean…?” Rei bit her lip, pausing. “You know we’re your parents, right? You’re not a synth.”

“I know, Mom.” Kasumi was crying now, her voice thick with tears, and she reached out to hug her mother again. “I’m sorry. I was just so… confused. I wanted to go somewhere. Anywhere.”

It was her father who calmed her down, gently touching her shoulder. “It’s okay, Kasumi,” he murmured. “You’re home now.”

Solo stepped forward, clearing her throat. The whole family turned to gaze at her, Kasumi hurriedly wiping at her tears. With her head slightly bowed, Solo muttered, “Hold on to her, Kenji. You never know when your family is going to be taken from you…”

Caught by a sudden need to comfort her, to be nearer to her, Piper took a step as well so that she could reach for Solo’s hand. Solo shot her a quick and grateful glance.

“I’m glad you understand,” Kenji Nakano said. “It’s a terrible world out there. We only have each other.”

While Rei continued to comfort their daughter, Kenji beckoned to Piper and Solo to follow him outside. When they did, he stopped them on the patio.

“We need to talk about your reward for bringing my daughter home,” he said. “We don’t have much to offer, but my father traveled the Commonwealth. He had quite a collection before he died and he buried it all near the house. I’m not the explorer that he once was, so I won’t use it. It would be better off with you.”

Piper opened her mouth to protest, and then stopped herself. Why _shouldn’t_ they get a reward? It hadn’t exactly been the easiest case. And they had both risked their lives for over a month to solve all the mysteries on the island and bring Kasumi home. 

“Buried treasure?” Solo asked uncertainly. “ _That’s_ the reward?”

Piper poked her in the ribs and shot her a warning look, reminding her to be grateful. But Kenji Nakano was only smiling at them. “I never really sat down and looked through it all. But there will be valuable things in there, I promise you.”

“Well, in that case… thank you, Kenji.” Solo reached to shake his hand, and then Piper did the same. “Stay safe out here.”

“Goodbye. Best of luck to you and your partner.” He shot them both a wider smile than they had ever seen on his face and then, after promptly telling them where they’d find his father’s buried collection, he returned inside to reconcile with his daughter. Piper and Solo were left standing alone on the patio, staring at one another.

Wordlessly, Solo drew her into a hug, and they stood there in the sea breeze for a few long moments. Piper wondered what they would find when they dug up that old collection. Caps, for sure. But what else would an explorer have buried for safekeeping?

“ _Now_ it’s over,” Solo said, almost humorously.

“Not until we dig up that buried treasure.” Piper detached herself from Solo’s arms, suddenly caught up with childish excitement, and jogged down the steps. “Come on!”

She heard a chuckle, Solo shaking her head in disbelief before following at her heels. There was one last secret to uncover before they went home…

 ---

SEVERAL WEEKS LATER

Solo had spent the afternoon wandering around Diamond City, smelling spices and sweet pastries on the air, marveling at the festively designed stalls, illuminated with blinking Christmas lights, vibrant ornaments and brightly coloured signs. She’d had a pointless ‘conversation’ with Takahashi at the Power Noodle stand, listened to Doctor Sun whine about how happy everyone was, and had an argument with one of Diamond City guards. None of it brought her mood down.

It was Christmas, and for the first time since waking up in the Commonwealth, she had a family to spend it with. She’d moved in with Piper shortly after their arrival, and Nat – to her surprise – had accepted it without batting an eyelid. She’d been so happy to see her sister back that she’d overlooked every other crazy thing that had come back with her. Her only reaction when hearing that Solo would be coming to stay for a while was to grin at her and remark on how she’d ‘known it all along’…

So now Solo lived in Publick Occurrences, too. She shared a bed with Piper on the second floor, put her own clothes away in Piper’s dresser, walked Nat to school twice a week…

It was a domestic dream. A fantasy, almost. In hardly three weeks since returning from Far Harbor, Solo had a home of her own. And Piper seemed just as delighted as she was about it, constantly encouraging her to make herself comfortable, making comments about how good a pre-war relic looked amongst her antique furniture. They woke up next to each other and went to sleep in each other’s arms, and there was hardly a second of the day that they weren’t glued together at the hip.

The novelty of it all was starting to wear off now, though. Even though Solo was sure she only loved Piper more than ever, it was nice to be out here alone, hands in her pockets, enjoying the cold weather and the cheerful mood of the marketplace. She’d started to realize that being away from Piper didn’t mean she’d be missing out; she trusted the reporter not to get into too much trouble when she wasn’t around.

Solo stopped in front of the chapel and took her lingering gaze off the enormous Christmas tree in front of it, adorned with glistening ornaments and glowing fairy lights. She could already hear the noises inside; the giggling and shrieking of children, the cheerful voices of men and women chatting about their day, the steady crackle of a fire. Piper had begged her to come along and enjoy the celebrations; it was one of the only times that most of the people in the city were able to come together and enjoy each other’s company.

There were certainly plenty of people swarming in and out of the chapel’s entrance, reminding Solo of bees. Even the guards had set down their duties for an hour or two and several of them were leaning against the wall of the chapel, smoking cigars.

As the evening sky faded away, the pink and orange hues were replaced with dark shades of blue, whilst the amber light of the street lamps spilled on the streets. Solo suddenly felt a slight pang of anxiety as she paused before the chapel’s door. Piper and Nat were already inside, socializing with the rest of the locals, but she didn’t feel much like a local yet. Would they all notice her the moment she entered? Was she really welcome?

But she did go in, despite her worries, and very soon found herself found herself in a warm room filled with high-spirited laughter. The light from the glowing candles set the room half in shadow, but no one seemed to notice how sinister it looked. Most of them were milling about near the tables of food and wine, chatting and laughing; a few were sitting in pews with their heads bowed. Surprisingly, Solo felt no eyes on her whatsoever as she approached the crowd, hands still in her pockets, searching for Piper. She finally caught sight of the reporter somewhere on the other side of the room, talking to Arturo, the city’s weapons vendor. Before pushing herself through the crowd towards her, however, Solo saw Nat much closer and changed direction.

The little girl looked up and grinned at her when she saw her approach.

“Solo!” Excitedly, she turned to the rest of her friends. “This is Solo Woods,” she told them boastfully. “She’s the savior of the Commonwealth and she lives in my house! _And_ she’s dating my sister…”

The other children gaped at her; one of the older boys even reached to shake her hand, introducing himself as Sheng Kowalski. Solo entertained them with a smile, knowing that Nat’s appreciation of her was only because of everything Piper had told her. She was a little feisty, perhaps, but Nat was a wonderful little girl; Solo enjoyed having conversations with her on the way to school. She was mature for her age, but that didn’t stop her from getting in trouble. Every single week so far she’d gotten herself into detention without fail – much to Piper’s vexation – and Solo couldn’t help but smile and think of the time that Piper had called Diamond City jail the “Piper suite”. There was no denying that Nat would grow up to be very similar to her older sister. It wasn’t something to worry about. Two Pipers could only be a good sign for the Commonwealth.

“Enjoying the celebrations, Nat?” Solo asked now.

The girl’s face fell into a grimace. “Piper wouldn’t let me try any wine,” she declared woefully. “Everyone _else_ is drinking it…”

“Well.” Solo glanced around, finally catching sight of Piper again, still talking animatedly to Arturo. She felt that familiar tug in her chest when their eyes met and Piper smiled across the room at her. Glancing back at Nat, she said, “You’re pretty young to chance at being an alcoholic, aren’t you?”

Nat sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. “You’re only on her side because you’re in love with her.”

One of the other children giggled and was elbowed quickly in the ribs by the boy named Sheng. But Nat was grinning again, too.

“You know, you’re probably right,” Solo agreed. “My judgement is clouded.” She straightened up. “I’ll get you some wine, and then we’ll see if you actually like it. I bet you ten caps that you won’t.”

Nat’s eyes had hardened in determination. “Twenty caps that I will,” she countered.

Solo laughed. “Fine. I’ll be right back.”

The table was close by, so she walked over and grabbed a half-filled glass of red wine from it. The pastor himself was pouring them, and he smiled kindly at Solo with a simpering, “Merry Christmas!”

She returned his greeting and returned to Nat and the other children. They were chortling again, apparently entertained by the idea of Solo letting her try alcohol behind her sister’s back. She was sure that Piper was watching them, however, and was starting to wonder if she was about to get into trouble. Still, she handed over the glass and folded her arms, smirking down at Nat. “Try it, then.”

Nat lifted the glass to her face and sniffed it, starting to lose some of her confidence. She took a tentative sip and almost immediately screwed up her face in disgust. And then, remembering their bet, tried to straighten it out again. Finally, realizing that she’d lost, she thrust the glass back and muttered, “Oh, man…”

Solo sipped from it generously, glancing once over her shoulder to see that Piper had moved again and was now standing with her back to them. An argument had been narrowly avoided.

“Told you,” she said flippantly.

Nat sighed. “I don’t have twenty caps.”

“I do!” Sheng Kowalski said suddenly. He began digging through his pockets, his face turning red, and Solo remembered the story Nat had told them weeks back; he’d tried to kiss her and she’d punched him in the face. That had been her first detention in a long line of them. Caught with the sudden urge to smile, Solo shook her head to stop him.

“No, no – keep it. It was just for sport. Knowing I’m the winner is all the reward I need.”

He stopped rifling through his pockets and smiled at her gratefully. “Oh, good.”

Solo took another long sip of the wine and glanced back to look for Piper again, feeling oddly unsettled by the fact that she wasn’t at her side. Who was she talking to now? Since when did people actually like her enough to want to chat to her?

Truthfully, things had changed a lot. Ever since the fall of the Institute, and ever since it was discovered while they were gone that Mayor McDonough had been a synth after all, Piper’s enemies had quickly begun to dwindle in number. Most people delivered her weak, embarrassed smiles in the street now, and she’d even had a few apology letters from people who had formerly threatened her life. Solo thought it was ridiculous that these people thought they could go from being enemies of the paper to being allies. Piper only seemed ecstatic, claiming that sales had never been so high before. She’d ended up writing an article about their Far Harbor adventure after all, though it was only a short one, explaining that the island was significantly safer now. She’d had a few messages from citizens who had chosen to pack up and go there, wanting a fresh start. This made her so happy that she didn’t sleep for a whole night (meaning that Solo didn’t, either) and spent ages drafting replies to them, wishing them good luck. It was rather endearing to see her so cheerful about her success, but Solo was worried it would only be short-lived. The people of Diamond City were impossible to impress.

Piper was writing a novel, too, having taken Solo’s advice. She only had the first few pages done so far, but she was adamant that she get it finished by the end of January. If anything, Solo liked seeing her hard at work. She’d expected things to change when they came back to Diamond City, but she only adored Piper more now that she was a busy reporter again. Their connection was as strong as ever. Sometimes, they talked about everything that had happened on the island and tried to remember the cold and the Fog. It was hard to, now the island was so far away. While the experience itself had been life-threatening, they could only look back on it as something which had inexplicably brought them together against all odds.

Now, Solo’s eyes found her in the crowd again and she took another sip of wine, rolling the stem of the glass between her fingers. Piper was turning out to be a serious social butterfly. Was there anyone in this room who she hadn’t spoken to yet? As usual, she was wearing her red trench coat, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, but she’d taken her press cap off at the door. Her green scarf was wrapped snugly around her neck – so snugly that Solo wondered if the flush on her cheeks was because of asphyxiation rather than heat.

“I’ll see you later, Nat,” Solo said suddenly.

Nat was already deep in conversation with her friends and didn’t hear her.

With her bomber jacket shrugged more firmly over her shoulders, Solo began pushing through the crowd towards Piper, feeling something in her chest loosen with each step. When she finally reached her, she instantly touched her wrist and leaned in close; she could hardly help it. Piper shifted in slight surprise and then glanced up at her with a wry smile.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said, though her voice was soft. “I thought you’d spend the rest of the night with the kids.”

“It was tempting.” Solo was itching with the urge to kiss her right in the middle of that crowd of people, but she still wasn’t sure what they all thought of her relationship with Piper. And she’d never been one for public displays of affection. Instead, she reached out and fussed a little with her scarf, loosening it until she was certain that Piper wasn’t choking herself. The reporter looked on amusedly while the old man she’d been talking to had abruptly turned away to find somebody else. When she was finished, Solo met her eyes and smiled. “There.”

Piper grabbed her hand as she made to pull back, keeping her close. “You all right?”

“First Christmas Eve in the Commonwealth,” Solo said, a little unsteadily. “Just getting the hang of things.”

Piper’s gaze was sympathetic. She stroked her thumb soothingly across the back of Solo’s hand. “Does it live up to expectations?”

“More or less.” Solo had never been able to share a Christmas with Shaun – she remembered this now, out of the blue, and it was like a sucker punch to the gut. A wound which she’d thought had healed was open all over again. She gritted her teeth and downed the rest of her wine, refusing to let the idea ruin her evening. Sighing, she glanced up at Piper and said, “I think I need more wine.”

“More wine?” Piper looked down at her empty glass. “Oh – yeah. Me too.”

Solo took her glass and returned to the table to fill it. She grabbed some Fancy Lads Snack Cakes before leaving, smiling at the nostalgic taste of them. It had been a while since she’d indulged herself in sweet things. When she returned to Piper, the reporter was talking to somebody else but quickly departed from the conversation. As she handed her glass over, Solo smiled at her fondly. “So… how was your afternoon?”

“Not great.” Ruefully, Piper added, “Without you, that is.”

Solo felt her usual rush of happiness in response to her words. “You’re exaggerating to make me feel better.”

“I’m really not.” Piper reached out and tugged at the lapels of Solo’s jacket, almost as if drawing her in for a kiss, and then thought better of it; she moved to hug one arm around her instead, leaning her head on her shoulder. “Merry Christmas,” she said softly.

“Christmas is tomorrow, technically.”

Piper rolled her eyes. “Really gotta ruin the moment?”

“Sorry. Merry Christmas.”

They smiled at each other and then clinked their glasses. A few seconds later, they had both downed all of their wine in a hasty competition, and Solo was trying not to laugh. She wiped her mouth. “More wine, m’lady?”

“I’ll come with you.”

And so, for the rest of the night, that was how it went. They drank and drank, socializing with a few more citizens, singing along with the radio when Christmas songs came on, even dancing together – though neither of them really knew how. Solo was seriously struggling not to touch Piper more; she began wondering if it would be bad at all if she sneaked in a kiss, or if she dragged her outside for a few moments of privacy. But she didn’t. There was something exciting about the rising tension between them, a suspense.

 ---

Finally, after people began to leave and Nat departed to her friend’s house for a sleepover, Piper and Solo headed to Dugout Inn with Vadim for an afterparty. They drank even more there, but not enough to get drunk – only tipsy. Vadim led them in more songs and they joined a card game on one of the tables in the corner, winning a startling fifty caps right off the bat. They used the caps to buy a round of drinks for everyone in the room.

Piper couldn’t stop staring at Solo, and the other woman knew it. They had been playing a sort of game all night, touching each other only lightly, maintaining a small distance from one another, acting like they were good friends and nothing more. Piper didn’t much care what people thought, but she did want them to accept Solo, and she knew the woman was nervous about what they may think. But keeping calm had never been so difficult before. All she knew was that they had to go home _soon_ or she would spontaneously combust.

And so, at about midnight, she very quickly grabbed Solo’s hand as she made to return to the card game, giving it a hard and meaningful squeeze. Solo glanced over at her and must have seen the look in her eyes, because she immediately turned and went back to the bar. They both said goodnight to Vadim, thanking him for the late celebrations, and then left Dugout Inn arm in arm, laughing for the sake of it. Piper was sure they both felt the same sort of eagerness now to get back home, and she was suddenly seriously glad that Nat had convinced her to let her go and stay with her friend tonight. The last thing she wanted was her little sister walking in on them while they were…

Well, it wasn’t a great picture.

Piper was still tipsy enough that she couldn’t seem to fit her key into the lock, and that set them off laughing again. Finally, she managed to jam it in and twist, and sighed grandly as she swung open the door and led Solo inside. Once she’d shut it and locked it, reaching to switch on the light, Solo stopped her. She had stepped in close, lips already on her cheek, her breath warm and smelling sweetly of wine. Surprising Piper, she leaned down and tucked her arms around the backs of her thighs, lifting her up as if she weighed nothing.

Piper clung to her, laughing elatedly. She searched for Solo’s mouth in the darkness and then kissed it, her fingers tracing the shape of it at the same time. When they parted, her eyes had adjusted enough that she could see her features better; that front-page model’s face with the graceful cheekbones and light-colored eyes. It had used to be a face slightly marred by sadness, but now Solo was smiling and could only have been incredibly joyful. A surge of excitement and disbelief ran through Piper as she realized, as she often did, that Solo was hers. She leaned in to kiss her again, softly, and then pulled back to return her smile.

“Hi,” she said, a little bashfully.

Solo chuckled, and she felt the vibrations. “You’re ridiculous.” She said it fondly, however, and accompanied the words with yet another kiss.

Piper paused. “So… are you taking me to bed, or what?”

“Do you want me to?”

“Oh, yes.” Piper leaned in to kiss her again, this time much more deeply, grabbing her face with both hands. “Christmas present time,” she mumbled.

Solo turned and began carrying her blindly towards the stairs, stumbling slightly as she knocked her leg against the coffee table and uttered a curse. Piper, of course, tried to make it as hard for her as possible, bending to kiss her neck, lightly biting on the skin before soothing it with a press of her lips. She realized that she could feel Solo’s pulse against her mouth – in fact, she could feel it everywhere, because it exactly matched her own rapidly beating heart.

She continued to kiss her and Solo continued to curse until she finally managed to mount the stairs. And then she groped across the room for Piper’s bed, carrying her over to it.

She dropped her on top of the mattress rather unceremoniously, pulling her jacket off, and Piper leaned back to watch with a smile. Her heart was beating even faster and her whole body was flushed with heat. She began to work on her own coat, struggling clumsily with the buttons. Solo climbed on top of her and began to help her, fumbling with them awkwardly, kissing her while she did so. They both seemed too drunk to get undressed, but that wasn’t enough to stop them. It just made them laugh so much that they could barely breathe.

Finally, Piper had the coat off and was able to draw it from her shoulders, flinging it as far away from them as she could. And then she burrowed her fingers into Solo’s hair and kissed her with all the pent-up frustration and love of the night. They kissed like that for several minutes, making her feel even more frustrated, until she could hardly bear to still have clothes in between them. She reached for the button of Solo’s jeans automatically, but was stopped by a firm hand on her wrist.

Solo leaned back until she was kneeling over her body, and said, “Wait.”

Piper looked at her in bafflement. “Don’t you want to-”

With the air of someone who was about to reveal a surprise, Solo climbed off the bed and walked over to the dresser. Piper heard the opening and shutting of drawers, and then the crinkle of paper. She sat up the moment she heard it, heart in her throat. “What…?” She swallowed, watching Solo’s shadow as it paused. “Blue, what is that?”

The mattress dipped as Solo sat back on the edge. She gently placed a medium-sized box in Piper’s lap, her hand lingering for a long second on Piper’s knee. “Merry Christmas,” she said softly.

Piper lifted the box, surprised at how heavy it was. A _present_? But… she hadn’t gotten anything for Solo. They had promised each other that they wouldn’t…

“Wait, I want to see your face,” Solo said quickly. She grabbed the box of matches from Piper’s desk and began to light the candles around the room. Piper watched her mutely, still too surprised to come up with anything to say. She was caught between love and slight irritation.

Finally, they were surrounded by a warm glow, and everything seemed much more real somehow – she sobered up instantly. Her frustration wasn’t forgotten, but she pushed it aside for a moment as she stared down at the wrapped object in her lap. A box covered in shiny sea-blue paper, tied with a worn green ribbon. Solo sat down beside her and Piper glanced up to search her face, not understanding. “Blue, didn’t we say no presents?”

“Just open it,” Solo said with a smile.

Skeptical, Piper began to untie the ribbon carefully, not wanting to destroy Solo’s handiwork. As she unwrapped the box, she sensed that Solo was quite literally on the edge of her seat, unable to keep still. Finally, she had completely unwrapped the paper and looked down at the box blankly.

“ _Open_ it,” Solo urged her. “You’re not done yet. How long does it take?”

“I don’t want to ruin the paper,” Piper protested. But she opened the box anyway, and then paused as she gazed down at what was inside. With her heart back in her throat again, she hurriedly looked up at Solo and held her eyes. The sensation she felt now was raw and overwhelming, and she could hardly stand it. But she did, because she knew it was love – incredible love – for the woman sitting before her.

She remembered the moment clearly.

They had been standing in the old observatory on top of the hill; it was their first time entering Acadia. It had been cold, and they had just passed through a hallway full of leftover equipment and empty boxes. The place had seemed abandoned from the moment they’d entered. Piper was staring up at the enormous telescope in awe, and she’d said, _Oh, what I wouldn't give for a camera right now._

And Solo had replied, rather flippantly and without feeling, _Really? I’ll get you one for Christmas._

The pure clarity of that moment now almost brought Piper to tears, because Solo had _remembered_. It was the weirdest thing. But it was wonderful, because she herself had forgotten it completely. She recalled being taken aback by the seriousness to Solo’s tone at the time – she hadn’t believed the woman actually meant it. She’d thought that Solo would surely forget and was just trying to be nice. That had been a time when she and Solo were barely friends but had just begun to develop respect for each other. It had been the very beginning.

“Oh, Blue…”

Solo had that look in her eye, caught between pride and fear of rejection. “You don’t like it?”

Piper lifted the camera parts from the box, already knowing what they would look like once she’d assembled them. All of them were shiny and undamaged. She had no idea where Solo had gotten it from and how much it must have cost. Speechless, she shook her head.

“I love it,” she said finally. “Blue, I _love_ it.”

Solo must have noticed how moved she was, because she began to smile very broadly. “It was something I was always going to get for you anyway,” she explained. “Ever since that day-”

“That day in Acadia,” Piper finished for her.

“Yeah.” Solo scooted closer. “We could put it together now, if you want, or-”

“No.” Piper suddenly began putting the pieces back in the box. She closed it and climbed off the bed, placing it carefully on the edge of her desk. “Not now.”

“But-”

There was only one way Piper could think of to say thank you, one way that was better than uttering the words themselves. She began take off her shirt, pulling it over her head. Solo stared at her as if she’d grown extra arms, and then began to laugh. “A simple thank you would suffice, you know,” she remarked.

Piper ignored her, unbuttoning her trousers. She kicked them aside. She began to take her underclothes off too, not caring much about standing naked in her own room by candlelight. Not when she knew Solo thought she was beautiful. Solo was gazing at her body with a suddenly very intense look in her eyes, hands gripping the mattress so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. She parted her lips as if she was about to say something humorous, but no words came out. Instead, her voice transformed, became softer. “Come here,” she said.

Solo’s hands were on Piper’s bare hips the moment she came near the bed, yanking her down onto the mattress. And then she was kissing her and taking off her own clothes at the same time. Piper reached up to help her, laughing at her eagerness.

By the time they were both naked, they were practically grappling for control, hearts beating in that same rapid, exact rhythm. Finally, Solo managed to pin her down and kissed her hard, as if to emphasize that she’d won. Piper strained to sit up, but Solo pushed her firmly back against the pillows.

Her voice was rough. “No touching.”

There was a rush of excitement in Piper’s gut as she lay back and reluctantly did as she was told. Despite her anticipation, she protested, “That’s not fair.”

“Shh.” Solo kissed her again, but slowly this time, and Piper felt her frustration bubbling up stronger than ever. It wouldn’t take her long to lose her mind completely at this rate.

Solo stopped kissing her lips and moved to her jawline, neck, and collarbone, her mouth warm and undemanding. Piper struggled to keep her hands down, breathing raggedly all of a sudden, as if she’d run a mile in the last few seconds. Solo placed soft butterfly kisses down her chest and stomach, glancing up at her every once in a while to gauge her reaction.

“Blue…” Piper wondered if Solo could hear the desperation in her voice; the desperation to touch her and the willpower it was taking her not to.

Solo sat up, her eyes darkened. “Yes?”

Piper remembered what she’d been going to say. “Thank you.”

Solo smiled and ran a soft hand over her body, touching the places she had just kissed. Piper felt her back arch in anticipation as the hand moved lower, knowing where her fingers would soon reach. But Solo stopped before they got too close. Piper bit her lip, her heart giving a lurch, tightening her fingers in the sheets on either side of her. She wasn’t sure if she could take any more of this torment. She’d had enough of Solo flirting with her; she wanted her _badly_.

To her satisfaction, Solo seemed to realize her frustration shortly. She finally climbed backwards and settled between her legs, kissing her thighs. Winking up at her momentarily, she said, “Pipes?”

“Yeah?” Piper could barely look at her.

“You’re very welcome.”

And then Solo lowered her mouth and Piper could do nothing but throw her head back and sigh in bliss.

If that wasn’t seeing stars and rainbows, Piper wasn’t sure what was. It was over almost as soon as it had started, and she knew for certain that she had never been more in love.

Later on, as they both lay gasping and staring up at the ceiling, Piper tried to remember what her life had been like before Solo was in it. It seemed dreary and grey. She reached for Solo’s hand and held it tightly in her own. “I’m going to love you forever,” she said confidently into the silence.

“Forever is a long time.”

“ _Longer_ than forever. Time doesn’t even matter.”

Solo turned her head towards her, kissing the side of her face. “You’re right,” she decided. “It doesn’t.” And then she smiled. “Let’s get married, then, shall we?”

“Married?” Piper glanced at her in surprise.

Solo looked discomfited, but she pushed forwards nevertheless. “You’re the only person who I’d give Nate’s ring to.” With more confidence, she said, “I want to marry you, Piper.”

Piper wasn’t sure what to say. Most people didn’t bother with marriage proposals nowadays, even though the pastor was well-practiced in wedding ceremonies. Most people didn’t have the money to buy rings or to go on a honeymoon. Love was seen either as a contract or as a short-lived occurrence. Piper wasn’t sure why. She supposed it was something to do with the lack of security; why make a promise to someone when you didn’t know if you were going to keep it?

Piper had plenty of confidence that she’d be able to keep any promises she made. And she wanted to be able to look down at her hand and see a ring gleaming there. She wanted a physical symbol of their connection and their love, even if it seemed pointless to everyone else. It hardly took a moment’s thought; she was suddenly jumping at the idea.

“Yeah, let’s get married,” Piper said quickly.

Solo laughed, partly in relief and partly in amusement. “That sounded romantic,” she sighed.

Piper sat up, unexpectedly solemn. “Well, of _course_ I want to marry you!”

“Are you sure?”

“Blue, I'm on cloud nine. Things couldn't be better. And that's all thanks to you. Honestly… what else could I need?”

“Nothing.” Solo hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her back down. “Nothing else.”

“When will we do it?” Piper asked curiously, settling against Solo’s side again. She traced a small circle around her bellybutton, grinning when the woman twitched in response. Splaying her hand out instead, she rested it against the warm skin of her stomach, feeling very faint ridges that she knew were stretch marks; scars from her son’s birth. Solo had never talked about them, but Piper always gave them special attention when they were making love, feeling they were the only physical features which were left from her life two hundred years before. They were tangible proof of her incredible history. Piper wouldn’t change them for the world.

“What’s your favourite season?” Solo asked, her voice low in the silence of the house.

Piper thought for a moment. “Any season that’s not too far away.”

“Spring, then. I want some sun. And wild flowers.” Solo’s smile was blissful. “And I don’t want to have to wear a coat.” She laughed suddenly, giving Piper an impish glace. “And I want to see _you_ in a white dress and nothing else…”

Piper was overcome by the image. “You’ll let me wear underwear, though, won’t you? I might die of shame otherwise.”

“Sure. I’m not going to make you go half-naked to your own wedding.”

“Good.” Piper resumed stroking her stomach, already growing rather excited about this. “Weddings have flower girls, right?” she said. “Or is it a ring-bearer? Nat could do that.”

“She could.” Solo sighed, turning her face into her hair. After a few moments of day-dreaming, she mumbled, “I love you, Piper. So much.”

“I love you, too.” Piper could feel her warmth everywhere around her, could faintly smell her flowery perfume, could sense her breathing. It was all so real and so wonderful that she wanted to pause this moment and live in it forever. But they moved on, like they always did.

After talking about the wedding, they blew out all the candles and climbed back into each other’s arms. The world outside was completely quiet, and Piper noticed it for the first time with a sense of awe. It was almost as silent as the island’s Fog, and she found herself shivering in remembrance of the weeks spent there. Solo was already asleep, so she turned to study the outline of her face in the darkness. Sometimes Piper still had dreams about the odd beasts they had found in Far Harbor, and the people there; sometimes she even worried that she would wake up in the Nucleus and have to go through it all over again. But then she’d sense Solo beside her in the darkness or would turn to see her like this, her breathing even and peaceful, and the fears would float away.

Piper shuffled closer so she could feel the skin of Solo’s shoulder against her face, trying to think of something else. Hopefully, one day, the adventure would stop hanging over her like a ghost and she’d be able to move on.

She thought of Christmas day instead. Thought of waking up tomorrow, kissing Solo awake, and then going downstairs to make coffee and breakfast. Nat would come home and they would spend the day celebrating and listening to music. She would assemble the camera and take as many pictures as the film let her. Mostly of Solo. And then they would join their friends in the chapel again during the afternoon to sing traditional songs and drink yet more wine.

Piper sighed now, feeling much better about the silence and the cold. She snuggled up further into Solo’s side and could almost imagine snow falling softly against the roof while they lay there warm and safe. It was a scene from a novel, from a fairytale. But there was no real happy ending, she realized, not like in those stories. There was just the place where you stopped the story. Things wouldn’t always be as cheerful as this, and flashes of the past would surely continue to come back to haunt her. But, for now, she would enjoy herself. She was warm and in love on Christmas Eve, with the universe muted outside, and the world seemed – for the most part – at peace.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  So... this is actually not the final chapter. I will be posting a bonus chapter some time in the future to tie up any loose ends (e.g. Piper and Solo sit down with Nick Valentine and talk to him about DiMA; Solo deals with retiring from the Brotherhood; etc). However, for the sake of tying up the actual story, this _is_ the end.  
>   
>  I'm very, very glad that I've had so many comments from people who have been enjoying _Blood Tide_. Thank you so much for the all kudos, and the kind words, and the constructive criticism, and -  
>   
>  Well, there's plenty to thank you all for.  
>   
> The Far Harbor story was actually quite fun to write about, considering how unsure I was about it when I first played it in the game. There's something entertaining about Commonwealth noir, isn't there?  
>   
> But, as per usual, it's time to move on. I can't say the _Blood Tide_ bonus chapter will be out very soon, as I have my final exams coming up. It will likely be a month or so. Meanwhile, since I already began writing it a while ago, I will be posting the first chapters of _Mechanical Menace_ , which is the third and final installment of this series. If you're at all a fan of the adorable Curie, you'll enjoy it. I promise. If not, thanks for reading thus far. A summary for the next story is below.  
>    
>  **Mechanical Menace**  
>   
>  _After taking down the Institute with the Minutemen at her back, Amarli Lorenzen has ditched the danger, the drugs, the drinks, and the ladies for a chance to return to her suburban life in Sanctuary Hills. Well… mostly suburban. Her synth son, Shaun, and the tech studio she keeps in her bedroom are all she thinks she needs for the rest of her days in the Commonwealth._  
>   
>  _It isn’t long until danger begins to whisper to her about all the excitement she’s left behind. Feeling displaced once more, Amarli leaves the safety of Sanctuary Hills behind and returns to the brutal reality beyond. Her magnificent discoveries range from an incredibly human-like pre-war robot to a mechanical mastermind who seems hell bent on taking over the Commonwealth._  
>   
>  _Amarli won’t be returning to that suburban life anytime soon – that’s for sure._


	31. Bonus (Part I) - Loose Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solo has been called by Arthur Maxson himself to return to the Prydwen - a bad sign. She had just begun settling into her life with Piper and Nat in Diamond City, and now the Brotherhood is threatening to throw her world out of balance all over again. It is time to deal with the problem once and for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this took a lot longer to write than I expected. It also went down a slightly different path than I thought it would. While I meant for the bonus story to be a short chapter with a sweet ending, it's turned into a little more than that. Meaning:  
> . The bonus story will be split into two short-ish parts (you might even see a third)  
> . It basically serves as an extra ending for _Blood Tide_ (even though it has little to do with Far Harbor)  
> . I guess stories never really end.  
>  Also:  
> . While I mentioned I might write something about Valentine, this actually might not happen anymore. One loose end won't be tied...  
> That's all! I hope you guys enjoy this, even though it's been a while. Thanks for reading.

Solo had known she couldn’t wait forever. There was no way to avoid the Brotherhood if they called for her return, and no way to explain why she had left without facing some form of punishment.

After being back in Diamond City for little more than a month, a Brotherhood knight found her in the market and delivered her a personal message from Maxson – she was to return to the Prydwen effective immediately. Nothing more was said, but Solo clutched the letter in her hand with a sense of sickening unease as she returned rapidly to Publick Occurrences, knowing that she had violated some sort of Brotherhood code by being gone for so long. Hadn’t she told Maxson she’d be willing to continue working for them? Had she not lied during her psychological exam to make them think she suffered no trauma from the collapse of the Institute? Her disappearance must have caught them completely by surprise. They must have sent word throughout the Commonwealth to find her, perhaps thinking she was dead. Perhaps they had been prepared to give up hope, saved only by the alert they received from some Brotherhood scribes camping outside Diamond City – a woman with silver hair had been seen there, living like a civilian. Hiding in plain sight.

“What’s wrong?” Piper asked curiously, seeing Solo enter the house at a rapid pace and slam the door behind her. She’d been bent over her printing press, trying to fix the mechanism yet again, but now was standing motionless and distracted. She cleaned ink off her hands using a dirty cloth and walked over. Solo wordlessly held out the letter she’d been given and watched Piper’s face as she read over the short note written there. Her dark eyebrows rose, and she finally glanced up to meet Solo’s eyes. She looked a little disoriented. “Blue… what’re you gonna do?”

“What I’ve been told,” Solo said grimly. “I have no choice.”

Piper frowned. “They can hardly force you to go back there, can they? Not like they’d kidnap you and drag you kicking and screaming back to the Prydwen.”

“That’s exactly what they’d do.”

Piper lowered the letter. She looked like she was about to make a snarky retort, maybe act like she knew better, but Solo could see the hopelessness in her face. She was more lost than angry. “I’ll go with you,” she said finally.

“Pipes, that’s not happening.”

“Why not?” she demanded.

“I’m a deserter. I abandoned my responsibilities as Sentinel, and I’m likely to be punished for it. If you’re anywhere near me when I’m sentenced, you’ll get caught in it, too.”

“I don’t care.”

Solo reached to take the letter from her hand and set it aside. She pressed up close, her thumb brushing over the crease between Piper’s eyebrows until the frown was gone. “I know you love to be hard-headed,” she said. “But don’t be stupid.”

“What will they do to you?” Piper looked at her with genuine concern.

“I guess they could try to lock me up or something. Maybe force me to stay in the airship and carry out jobs until I’ve learned my lesson. Or it could be… worse.”

“How much worse?”

Solo thought about it. “I don’t know.”

For a long moment, they both just stared at each other. And then Piper let loose a frustrated sigh and pulled away, stepping back from Solo’s reaching arms. “And you won’t let me come with you,” she said quietly.

“No.”

“What the hell am I supposed to do if you don’t come back?”

“I will. I promise.”

“You can’t promise that. This is the Brotherhood we’re talking about,” she retorted.

“You know me, don’t you? I’ve never had to stand trial for anything in my life. It’s a remarkable sin.”

Piper shot her a dryly humorous smile. It faded away quickly, however, as she again got lost in thought, folding her arms across her chest in a mildly defensive manner. Solo watched her nervously.

“You’d better be back in time to marry me, Blue,” Piper said finally, her voice soft. “Or god help me I’m gonna track you down and make you pay.”

Solo grinned suggestively. “Really?”

Smiling, Piper turned back to the printing press. “You should go and pack.”

Before she went upstairs, Solo slid both arms around Piper’s waist and affectionately kissed the side of her jaw, feeling the other woman automatically lean back into her. Lightly tracing the shell of her ear with her lips, Solo said, “Won’t you help me pack, Pipes?”

She felt a slight tremor from Piper before the woman turned in her arms to face her. “Help you prepare yourself to walk the plank? Ha. No thanks.”

Solo sighed. “Killjoy.”

Leaning forward to kiss her mouth, Piper broke away and patted her cheek. “Tell you what, Blue – when you get back, I’ll help you _un_ pack. But that’s about as far as I’m gonna go.”

Feigning annoyance, Solo turned and headed up the stairs to their bedroom, pulling off her jacket on the way. “Your loss.”

 ---

Redemption. Forgiveness. Was there a way Solo could make up for all of the horrible things she had done? Was there a way she could become someone better?

She’d figured that the time spent in Far Harbor, trying to solve problems bigger than herself, would have made her feel less like she needed redemption. She’d believed that falling in love with Piper meant she could be forgiven. But she still felt like that angry woman who refused to talk about her past and had no future.

The Brotherhood was the root of the problem. Ever since she had joined their ranks, she had gone downhill. They had turned her into a super-soldier, more machine than human. She couldn’t blame everything on them – she knew that – but they had set her off. Solo was sure of it. If anything, by facing her punishment from the Brotherhood and finding a way out of their faction, she would finally have that redemption she’d been waiting for.

She set off from Diamond City without hesitation, dressed in civilian clothes and combat armor, alone in the Commonwealth for the first time in a long time. She’d shared a rather worried, hopeful goodbye with Piper and Nat – they both seemed to believe she’d be coming back – and now couldn’t think about anything else. Getting used to loneliness once again would be difficult. She’d be sleeping on hard ground instead of a warm bed beside Piper. She’d be eating cold, unsatisfying meals instead of home-cooked food or takeaway. As she walked, she wouldn’t have Piper commenting amusedly on the wasteland or taking pictures with the camera Solo had given her for Christmas.

Solo hadn’t told Piper the full truth about this journey. While she definitely intended to head to the Prydwen to face Maxson, there was one stop she needed to make on the way. A person she needed to find and speak to. To convince.

An old friend.

She could remember sitting on the edge of that freezing cliff in Acadia, telling Piper her friend’s story; explaining how she had refused to kill him – her first awakening to the idea that what the Brotherhood wanted from her was wrong. He was the key, she knew, to her true freedom from them. And he always had been. The only issue was knowing how to find him, and how long it would take to convince him to return. While she had told Piper that she had no idea where he’d gone and that she had not tried to contact him since she faked his death, this wasn’t entirely true. After the collapse of the Institute, she had received a radio message from him congratulating her on her success with the Brotherhood. The only way he could possibly have sent that message was if he was still somewhere in the Commonwealth. She’d had a feeling ever since then that he must never have tried to leave after all – maybe it had never even occurred to him. Wherever he was, he was just within reach.

Solo had figured she should start with where she’d left him: the bunker up north. Even if he wasn’t still there, she knew she’d find some clue of where he’d gone. Paladin Danse had never been very good at covering up his tracks.

 ---

The journey north took about as long as she had expected – two days of moving quickly on foot. She didn’t meet much trouble, but she did wake up each morning with an aching spine and a sense of something missing, leaving her feeling disoriented. She had tried sending messages to Piper via radio, but she couldn’t get the damn thing to work. Instead, on her third day alone in the Commonwealth, she stopped in a small trading settlement and wrote a short letter, giving it to one of the traders to deliver as soon as they possibly could to Diamond City. While she didn’t give much away in her writing, the letter would serve as a source of comfort for Piper while she waited for news about Solo’s fate. It would stop her from worrying.

Solo thought often about their bedroom on the second floor of Publick Occurrences, where it was always warm and candles were always lit. Sometimes, in waking, she would imagine she could hear the humming of Piper’s terminal and her fingers typing away at the keyboard. She could smell ink from the printing press and the sweet scent of Nuka-Cola or bubblegum – Piper’s sweet indulgences. Once, when Solo had stopped by a travelling caravan and had breakfast with two of the guards, she’d watched one of them smoking and thought immediately of Piper. The reporter smoked less now, but it was still something she did when she was restless. It was a terrible habit, but one that Solo somehow loved, simply because it built up an integral part of her character – Piper was always itching to be moving, working, doing something. She was constantly on edge. The longer Solo was away from Piper, the more she stressed over all these little things she was missing: the smoking, the chewing of gum, the typing up of her new book, the lighting of candles, the printing of contemporary stories –

After only a month of living there, Solo already thought of the place as home. And she thought of Piper and Nat as her family. Being away from them so suddenly, without having had her time to wean herself off them, was bound to leave her disoriented. At least, that’s what she told herself.

Listening Post Bravo was impossible to see until the rise above it had been scaled and the turrets guarding it had been destroyed. Solo was almost pleased to see that they were back online, even as she aimed expertly at them and blew them to pieces. If the turrets were working, that meant somebody was home. She climbed down to the entrance of the bunker, glancing around quickly with narrowed eyes to ensure she wasn’t faced with anymore enemies before she holstered her weapon and headed into the darkness of the building beyond.

Everything looked exactly the way she’d left it – it looked as if it had been empty for years. The presence of power as she called the elevator was enough to concrete the idea that someone was living here. She eyed the rust on the walls thoughtfully, tapping the heel of her boot on the ground, until she heard the elevator arrive and stepped through the sliding doors. As they closed behind her, she pressed the only button, the one that would take her into the depths of the bunker.

“ _Going down_ ,” the elevator’s mechanized voice said.

Solo chewed on the inside of her cheek, a little unsettled by the silence, her hand automatically hovering over the pistol at her hip. With her other hand, she brushed some strands of hair out of her face – hair that was very dark at the roots now, as the bleach was growing out. Soon she would no longer have the silver hair that many people knew her by. She’d look like she had when she stepped out of Vault 111 for the first time.

When the doors slid open, Solo stared cautiously out into the room beyond, now drawing her weapon. The last time she had broken in here, she’d been assaulted by a wave of protectrons. This time, there seemed to be no welcoming party. With a tentative step, Solo drew her shoulders back and called into the silence: “Whoever’s in here, I mean no harm. I’m looking for a friend.”

There was a small rustling sound, and then the rattle of a tin can as it rolled along the floor towards her. She stared down at it, and then took another step forward. “Danse?” she ventured. “Is that you?”

She rounded a row of shelves, coming to a sudden stop as she saw a very domestic-looking set up. A wide desk with a terminal; a small camping bed with a suitcase beneath it; boxes of clothes and files; a whole rack of weapons and armor –

“Knight.”

Solo twisted, bringing her pistol up in front of her, and levelled it at the man’s chest. But he hadn’t even moved towards her. His hands were up in a gesture of peace, and he had a very solemn look in his eyes. Danse’s facial hair had grown so long and scruffy that she barely recognized him. And while he hadn’t lost a single pound of muscle from the looks of it, there was a coldness to his features which hadn’t been there before. Only his dark eyes, serious and frank, were the same.

Slowly, Solo lowered the gun. “Danse,” she said simply, a little out of breath from shock. “You’re still here.”

Grimly, he replied, “Where would you expect me to go?”

“I’d told you to leave the Commonwealth.” Solo eyed him, and then surveyed his room once more. “I assumed you did.”

“I tried to, but it didn’t stick.”

They stood in silence for a little while. Then, in a gesture of awkward chivalry, Danse gestured to the chair at his desk. “Would you like to sit down, Knight?”

“I’m fine standing.”

“All right.” His eyes searched her face. “Is there a reason you’re here?”

“Yes.”

“Is it the Institute?”

“The Institute’s gone, Danse.”

“I know. I sent you a message, remember?” He smiled for the first time, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I heard about the explosion. I’m sure the sight was beautiful to behold.”

“It had to happen, but there was nothing beautiful about it,” Solo said tightly.

Danse cocked his head at her. “Something…”

“What?”

“Something about you has changed. What’s happened to you?”

Solo levelled him with a stare. “I’m here about the Brotherhood, Danse. There’s something I need your help with.”

“My help?” Now he was surprised. “After all this time, everything you did… you need _my_ help?”

“You’re my friend,” Solo said quietly.

“I’m a synth, and an exile. The Brotherhood thinks I’m dead.” He sounded pained yet resolute as he said this. His eyes didn’t move from her face. “Whatever you need me to do, I don’t think I can deliver.”

“Let me explain first.”

After a few seconds, Danse nodded curtly. “Fine.”

Solo glanced over at the desk and then finally did sit down, crossing one leg over the other and trying to look composed, even though she knew her story would be hard to explain. She’d been a dye-in-the-wool Brotherhood soldier the last time Danse had known her, and yet he’d seen the beginning of her evolution. It had been him who had made her begin to question her orders. Still… telling him why she was in this position today would be more than a little difficult.

Clearing her throat, Solo began: “Destroying the Institute was a necessary evil in order to protect the Commonwealth. I’ve always agreed with the Brotherhood about that, even when it came to killing my own son. But, after what I did to you, I started having personal… disagreements. Serious ones.”

Danse looked worried. “Explain, Knight.”

And Solo did, in as much detail as possible. She decided to start from the beginning – all the little moments of lucidity and worry she’d had while working for the Brotherhood. She talked about how they had taken the Institute, and how she had even left her synth son behind to perish in the explosion. She told Danse about the days afterwards, and how she felt broken and lost, unsure of her purpose.

“I’m a Sentinel now,” she told him. “I haven’t been ‘Knight’ for a long, long time.”

“I’m… proud,” Danse said. And he looked proud, too, even if it was shadowed with concern. “Continue.”

She told him about her instantaneous decision to leave the Brotherhood and take some time out for herself. She began to talk about Far Harbor, and this time she received no interjections from him, even when she explained about Acadia and all the synths she hadn’t reported to the Brotherhood. He listened to her story with all the patience and interest of a friend as she told him about the approaching war and the hand she had played in stopping it. She finished by explaining her return to the Commonwealth, and how satisfied and wonderful she’d felt living as a civilian in Diamond City.

“You have not made the best decisions,” Danse said finally, once Solo had retreated into silence.

“But?”

He smiled faintly. “I’m not sure I’ve heard a story so heroic – not since you helped take down the Institute. You’re unconventional, a deserter of your brothers and sisters, and seemingly have no loyalty for the Brotherhood… but you have my respect. As always.”

“Do you hate me for deserting the Brotherhood?”

“It was your choice,” he said, after a moment’s hesitation. “And I’m no longer with the Brotherhood. We have both betrayed them in our own way.”

Solo peered at his thoughtful face. Rather abruptly, she said, “I want to change that.”

“What?”

“That’s why I’m here, Danse. I came to convince you.”

His eyes narrowed in understanding. “Maxson has called for your return?”

“Yes.”

Imperceptibly, he nodded. “And you don’t want to be with the Brotherhood anymore. You want to leave for good.”

“Exactly. I’m done. But I don’t think Maxson would ever let me leave.”

“Hmm.” He turned away, glancing around the room thoughtfully. “I fail to see how I have a part in this.”

Solo stood up from the chair and approached him. “I gave you your life, Danse. I let you live, when even you told me that killing you was the answer. Do you regret my decision?”

He stared down at her. “No,” he said softly.

“So I’ve done you a favor.” Solo smiled. “Now, you have to do us _both_ a favor. It’s time you’re given the power to make a decision of your own.”

“I still don’t see…”

“Consider your next move, Danse.”

He looked at her blankly. “If you’re referring to Maxson-”

“Yes, I am referring to Maxson,” Solo said. “He’s a problem for both of us. But I was hoping you’d find us a way out.”

“A way out?” Danse seemed uncertain. He scratched at his beard. “I don’t see how.”

“You still want to be with the Brotherhood, don’t you? They’re still your family. The fact he kept you from them is wrong,” Solo said. “Surely you’ve thought of ways you could get them back.”

Danse was silent.

“If you can’t help me, I’ll go and face whatever punishment he’s going to give me,” Solo said. “But I wanted to give you a chance. This could be your way back in. Being a synth doesn’t make you any less of a man – it sure as hell doesn’t make you any less of a soldier.”

Danse cleared his throat, looking uncomfortably heartened. Grimly, he said, “You think I should challenge him.”

Solo smiled. “It’s a small window, Danse. I suggest you take the opportunity to fight back while you still can.”

He shook his head wordlessly, pale beyond his beard. “When Haylen warned me about Quinlan’s discovery, she begged me to confront Maxson. She told me that there were Brotherhood soldiers who still believed in me, that would stand behind me if I challenged his authority. At the time, I told her it wouldn’t be right to cause a rift in our ranks. We were on the brink of war with the Institute, and weakening our unity felt like I’d be… backstabbing my own troops.” He met Solo’s eyes; his were bloodshot from lack of sleep. “But knowing you’re still with me… maybe that will be enough to convince Maxson he’s making a mistake.”

“Exactly,” Solo said softly. “You have no idea how many soldiers mourned your loss, Danse. They all believed I’d killed you – a few of them thought you’d escaped. If we go back to the Prydwen now and we confront Maxson together, we have a real chance of making him step down.”

“I’m not sure we can even get near the Brotherhood without getting cut down,” he said. He hesitated, eyes darting over to his rack of weapons. “But you’re right – we have to try. I’ve known Maxson for a long time, and under all that protocol is a decent man.”

Solo frowned, disbelieving. “Sure. Whatever you say.”

“Just… prepare yourself. I have no idea what he will have in store when we arrive.”

Solo reached over and patted his shoulder. “I think you’ve got more preparation to do. Not sure that’s a military cut.”

He glanced down at himself, as if suddenly realizing what he looked like. “If you don’t mind waiting, I’ll clean myself up and pack a bag. Don’t have much to take with me, anyway.”

Solo gripped his arm as he made to move towards his bed. “You’re sure about this, right?” she said seriously. “You realize that if this doesn’t work, you could end up dead?”

“So could you,” he told her. “But I don’t see you sweating.”

She let go of him, realizing he was right. As he bent by his bed and began packing a bag, she thought guiltily of Piper and wondered if she really was going to get back in time for the wedding they had so meticulously planned. She was used to this feeling – sensing that she would never return home. But this time she’d made a promise, and she wasn’t okay with breaking it. If Piper never saw her again, or had no idea what had happened to her…

Solo swallowed down a lump in her throat and turned towards the desk, catching sight of a few pieces of paper and pencils. She strode over and sat down, sliding one of the papers towards her. While she was aware that Danse was watching her, she quickly got to work drafting a letter.

It was a long one.

By the time she was done writing, Danse had shaved his beard and expertly trimmed his own hair. He had washed all the dirt from his face using a basin near the wall and had dressed into his old BOS uniform once again. He looked good as new. Solo glanced over the beginning of her letter:

_Piper,_

_I knew I’d miss you. It’s only been a few days, for god’s sake, but I swear it feels like weeks. Like I said in the last letter, I’ve been trying to reach you by radio but I’m too far away, so I have to do this by hand. The thing is, I wasn’t completely honest with you, and now I realize I have to be. Some things just need to be done, and I couldn’t chance you trying to stop me or come with me…_

She blinked at the words, then turned over the paper so she could read the end.

_… I'm sorry if this letter has caught you by surprise. There was just so much more I had to say, and I didn’t realize any of this would actually work. Danse and I are heading for the Prydwen, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t expect a fight. If we succeed, and I get Danse to be the new elder, the Brotherhood will be what it’s supposed to be – actually good for the Commonwealth. And good for me and you. I’ll come home then, I promise._

_I always seem to end up doing things like this, don’t I? If it makes you feel any better, this is what I think I’ve always wanted to do with the Brotherhood of Steel, ever since we returned from the island. There was no way you could have talked me out of it. And I never would have kept any of this from you if I expected to fail._

_Sad it’s come to this – me writing in a penmanship that’s even worse than yours, sitting in a hidden underground bunker, preparing for a dangerous military coup. We’re miles and miles away from each other, and there’s nothing you can do. I’m sorry._

_Hopefully this letter will actually reach you. And soon._

_I love you,_

_Blue_

She smiled at the signature. It felt right, somehow, to sign off using Piper’s nickname for her instead of her real name. Having written this letter and included every little detail of the past few days, including most of her conversation with Danse, she felt a little bit better about it. Solo didn’t think she would end up dead – not exactly. But she’d wanted Piper to know the seriousness of the situation at the very least. Just in case she did end up shot in the head and buried in an unmarked grave.

As with everything else, this was happening very fast.

“You ready, soldier?” Danse asked.

Solo tucked the letter into an envelope and wrote ‘Piper’ on the outside of it, along with her address in Diamond City. Standing up, she tucked it into the pocket of her bomber jacket. “We need to visit an outpost along the way. I have mail to deliver.”

He nodded. “You take the lead.”


	32. Bonus (Part II) - Ad Victoriam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solo and Danse take a risk and enter the Brotherhood's base once more - for both of them, it could be the last time they see the light of day. But there's no going back now.

It was a foggy day the morning of their infiltration into the Brotherhood’s base. Solo and Danse had built a camp just outside of Boston Airport and had both woken up to a feeling of anticipation and unease. Danse looked much more like he’d used to, his shoulders and back straight, his eyes focused. He looked ready for whatever was going to happen, even knowing he might end up dead. Solo envied him.

They hadn’t cooked up much of a plan, but what they did have was incredibly reckless; turning themselves in at the gates of Boston Airport could result in both of them getting shot. But Danse seemed to know what he was doing – he was more confident now than ever, more at ease with himself – so Solo was willing to follow his lead.

After kicking dirt in their fire, rolling up their sleeping bags, and expertly preparing their weapons and armour, they were ready to go. Neither of them had either power armour or protective BOS suits. Solo had her Gatling laser slung across her back as well as a pistol and Danse had two rapid-fire laser rifles, but otherwise they were completely vulnerable. Danse had emphasized that this was important – if they didn’t look like a threat, the Brotherhood was more likely to listen to what they had to say.

The gigantic shadow of the Prydwen left chilling feelings of anxiety and wretchedness in Solo’s chest. It had been her home for so many months, but she had barely lived in it. Was that room still filled with her clothes, and her extra weapons? Was the armory still rigged up with her very own set of power armor and tools she had scrounged from the Commonwealth? Maybe, if this all went well, she’d be able to take everything that belonged to her and leave for good. Danse would give her freedom.

“Stay calm, soldier,” Danse muttered through his teeth as they approached the gates, walking confidently. The two power armor-clad soldiers there were already staring over at them with suspicion. Solo forced herself to keep on walking, even though she was already beginning to dread all the possible consequences which could come out of this. She had made her decision to challenge Maxson, and she would stick with it, but half of her was still wishing she had chosen a more careful route so she could be sure she’d return home to Piper.

Had Piper received her letter yet? Would she have bothered drafting a reply? Worst case scenario, she’d have left Diamond City to come and find her. She’d never get here in time.

“Stop right there!” one of the soldiers barked, raising his weapon. It seemed he’d suddenly recognized one of them.

Danse lifted his hands in a gesture of peace and Solo followed suit. “There’s no threat,” Danse said calmly.

“No fucking way,” the other soldier gasped. She put up her rifle, too. “Stop moving!”

Solo and Danse ceased walking, hands still raised. Glancing down at her pistol, Solo wondered how easily she’d be able to dive for cover and return fire if everything went to shit. And then, like a lightbulb flickering in her head, she suddenly had an idea.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” one of the guards called. “That’s _Danse_. The Paladin. He’s a goddamn synth!”

The other soldier stepped forward, lining the barrel of his gun up with Danse’s chest. His voice was hard. “Didn’t you die months ago?”

Danse opened his mouth to answer, but Solo quickly took a step in front of him, blocking him from the guard’s weapon. She was electrified with a sudden sense of self-assurance.

“Stand down,” she commanded. “That’s an order.”

The guard seemed taken aback, recognizing her as his superior and apparently unsure of which rules to follow. Solo put her hand on the barrel of his rifle and forcefully pushed it down so it was pointing at the ground. “I am your commanding officer,” she growled. “Listen to me or face the consequences.”

“But you’re-”

“Are you going to argue with me, Knight?”

Very slowly, the guard stepped back. “No, Ma’am.” And then, with forced politeness, “Welcome back to home-base. They’ve been waiting for you up in the Prydwen.”

“I know they have.” Solo glanced at the female guard. “Is there some rule against bringing prisoners onto Brotherhood property?”

“… No, Ma’am.”

“Do you have a problem with the prisoner I’ve brought?”

The woman hesitated. “No, Ma’am,” she said again. She didn’t question why Danse wasn’t tied up, or why Solo hadn’t brought him in with a proper escort, or even why he was armed – as Solo had expected, her title of Sentinel had brought her good results, even if only temporarily. Word had probably gotten around about her desertion, so the soldiers would soon begin to question whether her orders were even valid anymore.

She nodded curtly and turned to grab Danse by the arm. He looked at her uneasily.

“Take us to Elder Maxson,” Solo said. “If you ask any more questions, I’ll have you reported.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

As the guards began leading the way into the airport, Solo shot Danse a quick smile, as if to say, “That’s how it’s _really_ done.”

While the Brotherhood knew that Danse was synth and that someone had been sent to assassinate him, not all of them knew that the assassin had been Solo. Therefore, she had a little bit of room to make up a story of her own – that she’d discovered him still alive and hiding in a bunker a few weeks ago, for example. Or that the Institute had made a second copy of him shortly before they were taken down, and he had been released back into the Commonwealth. No one would question her for finally returning to the Prydwen with a high-level prisoner in tow. In fact, they would all be impressed. Only Maxson and Captain Kells would understand the significance of her entering the airship with Danse by her side; they would know that either she had disobeyed their direct orders, or that she had failed to properly carry them out. The fact that she had actually given Danse access to the Brotherhood would be seen as a direct threat.

The guards guided both of them to the vertibird on the airport’s roof. Upon seeing Solo climb aboard, the pilot smiled and said, “Good to have you back, Ma’am.”

Danse was mostly ignored.

As they took off, Solo tried to control the anxiety that was rising anew in her chest. Once they reached Maxson – and provided that he didn’t immediately tell all his guards to open fire on them – Danse would need to get talking. If he wasn’t extremely convincing, neither of them would ever leave the airship again.

The sky was streaked with charcoal-grey and rusty blue, and the Prydwen was surrounded by a halo of clouds, a great metal monster hanging over an abyss. As they docked, Solo leaned out to peer at the world far below, beyond the layer of mist. She felt slightly nauseous. Glancing over her shoulder at Danse, she exchanged a grim look with him.

“You ready?” she asked, her voice just loud enough that it could be heard over the noise of the vertibird’s engines powering down.

Danse nodded.

She leapt out onto the platform, greeted by a guard who saluted her. When Danse landed beside her, she took his arm to make it look as if he was under her control and began to walk towards the airship’s main entrance. He followed along idly, receiving glares and looks of shock from the soldiers working in the docking bay. Before they entered the Prydwen, she pulled one of the armed guards aside and asked, “Maxson – is he on the main command deck?”

The guard looked surprised. “Yes, Ma’am. He’s been waiting for you.”

“I know.” Solo tugged Danse in beside her, opening the door. “Ad Victoriam, knight.”

“Ad Victoriam.”

The familiar hissing of gas and water in the walls and the eerie creaking of metal made Solo’s hairs stand on end. Knights were patrolling the deck, but they moved aside the moment they saw her with Danse, aware of the possibility of punishment if they got in her way. Danse was silent as she led him through the airship which had once been his home, now a forced exile looking back on his past. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too deep-rooted in nostalgia to talk his way back into the Brotherhood.

The main command deck was illuminated with morning light filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the familiar straight-backed figure of Arthur Maxson was leaning against the railing and gazing out into the world beyond. His battle coat was freshly laundered and ironed from the looks of it, and his boots had been polished until they shone. Even his hair was so smoothly cut that it seemed impossible to unsettle – every single part of him was calm and composed. When he heard the clanking of their boots approaching, he turned his head slightly, face half-cast in light, and there was a long moment of tense silence. Solo slowed and came to a stop, but Danse kept on going until he was standing right in the center of the room, eyes trained eagerly on his commander.

Maxson’s shoulders jerked as if he was drawing in a deep breath – to call for guards, surely – and Solo acted on instinct. She drew her pistol and aimed it at the back of his head, releasing the safety so that it clicked loud enough for him to hear. She was truly in the red zone now, but she was determined she wouldn’t turn back.

“Call for help, and you’ll regret it,” she said taciturnly. “We’re not here for violence. We just want you to hear us out.”

Very carefully, Maxson turned and faced the both of them, and Solo could see the hard, cold expression on his face. He wasn’t looking at Danse, however – he was looking directly at her.

“How dare you betray the Brotherhood,” he seethed, his voice barely audible.

Solo read his expression and the tone of his voice instantly: he was surprised. Furious. Shocked at her self-assurance. Disbelieving of the fact that she had just walked into his ship with Danse by her side and had not been stopped by anyone. That she had dared to return to the Brotherhood at long last with a fugitive in tow and then threaten him to his face.

“It’s not her fault,” Danse spoke into the silence. “It’s mine.”

“I’ll deal with you in a moment,” Maxson snapped. He left the railing and drew his own weapon in a swift movement – instead of returning Solo’s threat, however, the pistol was immediately pointed unwaveringly at Danse’s head. Maxson stepped forward, eyes still trained on Solo. “Sentinel – why has this… _thing_ not been destroyed?”

Solo stared at his finger on the trigger, her own hand tightening around her pistol. “He’s still alive because you’re wrong about him.”

“‘Him’?” Maxson repeated in disbelief. “Danse isn’t a man. It’s a machine… an automaton created by the Institute. It wasn’t born from the womb of a loving mother, it was grown within the cold confines of a laboratory. Flesh is flesh. Machine is machine. The two were never meant to intertwine.” His finger tightened on the trigger and Solo took a small step forward, worried she was about to see Danse’s head blown to pieces. What would she do then? Would the gun be turned on her? Would she be forced to shoot Elder Maxson to protect herself?

“By attempting to play god,” Maxson continued in a low growl, “the Institute has taken the sanctity of human life and corrupted it beyond measure.”

“Maxson,” Danse said urgently.

Maxson’s head snapped to see Danse for the first time, and he almost looked as if he was about to shoot, but he hesitated instead, his face hardening. Very carefully, Danse turned and held his hands up.

“After all I’ve done for the Brotherhood… all the blood I’ve spilled in our name, how can you say that about me?”

“You’re the physical embodiment of what we hate most,” Maxson spat. “Technology that’s gone too far.” He lowered his gun suddenly and turned to gesture out of the wide windows. “Look around you, Danse. Look at the scorched earth and the bones that litter the wasteland. Millions... perhaps even billions, died because science outpaced man’s restraint. They called it ‘a new frontier’ and ‘pushing the envelope,’ completely disregarding the repercussions.” He turned back to them, passionate with his fury. “Can’t you see the same thing is happening again?”

Danse lowered his head slightly, but Solo didn’t dare to drop her gun, worried that Maxson would either call for reinforcements or shoot both of them.

“You’re a single bomb in an arsenal of thousands still preparing to lay waste to what’s left of mankind,” Maxson said to Danse.

“Danse wants to save mankind, not destroy it,” Solo insisted.

Maxson let loose a short, derisive laugh. “You’re as delusional as you are insubordinate. How can you trust the word of a machine that thinks it’s alive? A machine that’s had its mind erased, its thoughts reprogrammed… its very soul manufactured. Those ethics that it’s striving to champion aren’t even its own. They were artificially inserted in an attempt to have it blend into society!”

Danse sighed. “It’s true. I was built within the confines of a laboratory, and some of my memories aren’t my own.” He met Maxson’s eyes. “But I thought I was human. When I saw my brothers dying at my feet, I felt sorrow. When I defeated an enemy of the Brotherhood, I felt pride. And when I heard your speech about the Brotherhood… I felt hope.”

Maxson stared at him, for the first time looking slightly uncertain. His gun was hanging idly by his side and he didn’t look so aggressive anymore – was it possible that the tide was turning? Danse took a tentative step forward, noticing that he had an opening. “From the moment I was taken in by the Brotherhood, I’ve done absolutely nothing to betray your trust, and I never will.”

A few seconds of silence passed, the two men staring each other down. Solo thought she saw a flicker of doubt on Maxson’s face, as if he had finally opened his eyes to the truth. In the next moment, however, it was gone.

“It’s too late for that now,” Maxson decided. “The Institute has foolishly chosen to grant you life. You simply should not exist. I do not intend to debate this any longer.” He turned and looked from Solo’s pistol to her face. “My orders stand.”

It was an obvious challenge – her last chance to obey authority before she would become just as much of an outcast as Danse was. Solo felt her arm shake slightly, her muscles tightening as she fought to keep her pistol steady. To her horror, Danse twisted to look at her sadly, short of the same confidence and control he’d had earlier. A muscle in his cheek twitched, and his gaze lowered slightly, as if he couldn’t bear to meet her eyes. Imperceptibly, he nodded – he yielded to the cracks in his dam and let the water flow free. He gave up. Just like that.

Solo couldn’t believe it.

“It’s alright,” Danse said softly. “We did our best. You convinced me that it was wrong to be ashamed of my true identity, and I thank you for it. Whatever you decide, know that I’m going to my grave with no anger and no regrets.”

Solo was frozen. She had no idea what had just happened. It had all been going so well, and then all of a sudden she was faced with a terrible decision. Not so different to the many decisions she’d been forced to make in Far Harbor, and with the Institute, and with Shaun – her whole life, she had been told to make choices she didn’t want to make. Would it be so bad if she chose, just for once, to disagree? To walk away?

Maxson seemed to sense she was hesitating, her gun still pointed in his general direction. He took an aggressive step towards her. “Either you execute Danse, or I will. The choice is yours.”

Fleetingly, Solo thought of that warm bed back in Diamond City – the bed with Piper in it. She imagined that the reporter was here, standing just behind her, watching her and waiting for her to make her next move.

“ _Come on, Blue. You've made your fair share of mistakes, but this... this isn’t you_.”

Solo gritted her teeth, her grey eyes narrowing as she surveyed the situation, trying to come up with a tactical solution. There was nothing. Maxson had told her it was her choice, but she didn’t have one at all. While she would do anything to be the good guy at this point, to be the hero that Piper thought she was – the hero she believed she had become – there genuinely was no way to save Danse. Not unless someone else in this room died in his place. Her pistol was already pointed at Maxson. One squeeze of the trigger, and he would be dead, and Danse would still be alive. But for how long? How would they escape?

Predictably, it was Piper’s words of praise which had stuck with her ever since she told her about Danse: _Still not sure how you did it, but Danse, he owes his life to you. Well done._ It had been the first thing she'd really done which was worthy of Piper's praise - going against the Brotherhood to save a man's life. 

Her own reply: “ _After everything that they made me do, I did wonder before pressing that button if I was just trading one monster for another...”_

Solo’s arms lowered of their own accord, her fingers loosening around the handle of the pistol. Her body seemed to sigh as if in relief, a chill running over her skin. Without even questioning it, she knew she had made the correct decision. She wasn’t about to create another monster in herself.

“Please…” she said, meeting Maxson’s eyes. “He deserves to live.”

Something in Elder Maxson’s expression seemed to snap. “I see you’ve made your decision, Sentinel. Very disappointing. And I don’t appreciate being betrayed by my own soldiers.” Very smoothly, he raised his pistol again, shoulders drawing tight as he aimed at the side of Danse’s head. And then –

“Guards!” Danse suddenly shouted.

Both Solo and Maxson recoiled in shock as the loud clanking of power-armoured feet and boots approached the deck, every soldier in the surrounding area rushing to the rescue. Solo stumbled aside as two knights and several scribes arrived in the doorway and caught sight of what was happening. It wasn’t until Danse spoke again that Solo finally understood his plan and how masterfully he had orchestrated it.

“As a Brotherhood of Steel Paladin, I’m issuing a formal challenge against your authority as Elder,” Danse said coolly, unflappable despite the gun held to his head. “We’ll settle this matter as it was written in the Litany: in combat.”

Maxson’s gun was still pointed at his head, but he suddenly had no power. He had no control. While he could still pull the trigger and end Danse’s life like he wanted, it would result in breaking a Brotherhood rule himself. The audience made all the difference in the world.

More faces had appeared in the doorway now, creased in surprise and confusion. Familiar faces of soldiers who had accompanied Solo and Danse during their first few battles together in the Commonwealth, amongst others. Some people who were likely to be rooting for Danse, some who would not. Danse hadn’t just feebly been trying to fight his own case – he’d been buying time, waiting for the change in morning shifts, where the night patrol would be switching with their daytime counterparts. He’d been waiting for a big audience.

Maxson, a man who followed the Brotherhood code without ever breaking it, would truly struggle to deviate from the rules with so many of his soldiers watching. He was a man of dignity and justice, a man who kept his word. If he was so powerful and so fitting to lead the Commonwealth’s biggest army, surely he wasn’t scared of a fight against a mere synth?

Solo could see the wheels turning in his head from where she was standing, and she had to struggle not to smile. She no longer had any decisions to make. From now on, it was up to Danse. Hopefully, he would win this final fight.

With what looked like great effort, Maxson lowered his gun and glowered at Danse. “I’ll show you what happens to traitors,” he said smoothly. He turned to one of the armed guards. “Prepare a vertibird and notify everyone in Boston Airport – if the synth wants an audience, it’ll get one.”

“Yes, sir.”

Danse was looking pleased as he watched Maxson and several of the soldiers leave the command deck, heading out to the vertibirds. Some of the others came to restrain him so they could lead him down too, but Solo stopped them momentarily. She looked Danse in the eye. “Are you sure you can do this?” she asked urgently.

“I have to,” he said. He paused, searching her face. “That letter you wrote, before we left the bunker… it was for someone who you care about?”

Solo swallowed, surprised he’d been paying attention. “Yeah.”

“For your sake, then, I’ll do it.” He smiled. “I won’t keep you from your family like they kept me from mine.”

The soldiers on either side of him tugged him hard and he was forced to stumble forwards and away, walking with them calmly and self-assuredly. Solo began to follow, but one of the knights stepped quickly in front of her, barring the doorway. “The Elder gave specific commands to keep you here,” he said. “I’m sorry, Ma’am, but I can’t let you leave.”

Solo felt her heart sink. “What? But it’s within my right as a soldier to-”

“It is within your right as a member of the Brotherhood of Steel to spectate on a formal challenge… unless you are in containment.” The soldier folded his arms. “Which you are. The Elder has told us you must be treated as a threat until he returns, at which point he will decide on your punishment.”

Did this man not realize what was at stake? Solo tried to push past him, but he grabbed her swiftly by the arms and forced her back. Two more soldiers appeared beside him, each of them grabbing a shoulder and holding her still while the first man handcuffed her wrists together. She stared down at them in shock and then glared at him. “ _If_ ,” she said.

“Excuse me, Ma’am?”

“ _If_ he returns,” she muttered. “You don’t know that he will.”

The man’s face was unreadable, but he didn’t seem particularly against the idea.

“I’d like to at least go to my room, if you’re going to keep me here,” Solo said. “Or am I being taken to a cell?”

He smiled. “We can take you to your room, Ma’am.”

“Let’s go, then,” Solo sighed.

 ---

Once she was in her room, Solo only wanted to leave. They had let her be alone, stationing themselves right outside the door, but they hadn’t removed the handcuffs. She sat down on her bed, straining her wrists against the metal even though she knew it was useless. Now she was in here, there was no escape. If Maxson won the formal challenge, she would likely be imprisoned or executed.

Solo jumped to her feet again and began pacing back and forth, chewing anxiously on her bottom lip. All she could think about right now was the last thing Danse had said to her – that he would fight so she could get back to her family. What if he died? Solo didn’t want him to die. Not after that.

She pounded her fist on the door. “Can I go to the toilet? Hey! Can you hear me or what?”

There was no answer on the other side, so she huffed in irritation and resumed her pacing, knowing that far below her in the middle of Boston Airport, a battle would be commencing. All the while she was sulking up here. And she really did need to go to the toilet. Finally, her striding back and forth seemed to irk the guards outside; the door was unlocked and one of them barked at her to follow them to the bathroom. Pleased at her small victory, she followed the woman and took as long as possible so that she could enjoy being out of her room for a little while. It had been about half an hour since she’d last seen Danse, but from how empty the Prydwen’s halls looked, it seemed everyone was still spectating down below. Just how long did a fight like this last?

She was hurried along once she left the bathroom and soon found herself shut away once again, her wrists handcuffed, the door locked tightly behind her. Surrounded by four metal walls, there was nothing else to do but stare at them; to look at the shine that had begun to wear away, marred by dents and scratches. There wasn't a person alive who didn't fear being closed in, fear being trapped with no way out. The claustrophobia Solo felt at being locked in her own room was natural – or so she thought. There couldn’t be anything worse than this tiny steel-walled room, empty of all the personal things that made it hers, silent and unmoving and cold with her anticipation. It felt like the walls were closing in on her with each step she took. And another. And another. She felt like she couldn't breathe – what if she ran out of oxygen in here?

No… there were pipes and air vents in the ceiling. That wouldn’t happen.

Nevertheless, her heart rate began to speed up, and so did her breathing. She stopped moving and positioned herself near the door, knowing that most of her current panic was due to her inability to fathom what was coming for her. What was her fate? Would she have these handcuffs on until the day she died, or would she soon be out of here and walking back to Diamond City?

Her Pip-Boy told her a little more than an hour had passed when she finally heard a succession of footsteps and voices outside. She couldn’t tell which belonged to who, but there were a lot of them. Most of the soldiers sounded victorious, heading towards the canteen and the armory. Solo stepped back as she heard the bolt in her door being drawn, the wheel spinning to open it. She only saw the faces of her guards at first, a couple of them grim, one of them pleased.

When she saw Danse’s quiet smile, she almost wanted to fall to her knees and praise his presence. Instead, she gave him an uncertain grin. “…Is that you, Paladin?”

“I’ve won,” he said, stepping into her room.

“Yeah, I got that,” Solo said dryly. She noticed he was already wearing Brotherhood uniform once again, but it was the colour of the highest status possible – black. And he had Maxson’s battle coat slung over his right arm. Despite the bruises and cuts on his face, and the bandage wrapped around his hand, he looked fresh and healthy. “So you’re… _Elder_ Danse now?” she asked tentatively, hardly able to believe it.

“There is another process to complete before I am completely reinstated as Elder, but yes.”

“Why did it take so long – the fight, I mean?”

“The fight itself was little more than ten minutes,” Danse informed her. “But we needed to perform a proper ritual once Maxson had been defeated. We respect every soldier who has fallen in battle.” He glanced around the room. “I’m sorry you were kept here – I would have preferred for you to see it all.”

Solo smiled. “I’m glad you won, Danse.”

“Me, too.”

She glanced over his shoulder. “Is everyone all right with you being a synth now, then? They’ll still follow you?”

“They will learn that my synth body does not interfere with my Brotherhood ideals,” Danse said with certainty.

“Good.” Solo finally let herself release a sigh of relief. Her confidence returned at light-speed, and she instantly felt stupid for having doubted Danse in the first place. Of course he’d won. She’d known he wouldn’t fail, hadn’t she? For the sake of her dream to leave the Brotherhood behind for good, she had invested everything in him. Now, she could finally go home.

Danse beckoned to one of the guards to come and unlock her handcuffs. Once she was free, she noticed her knees felt a little weak and quickly sat down on the end of the bed, rubbing her wrists. Danse gazed curiously down at her, examining her from head to toe. “It took a hell of a lot of guts to stand up to Maxson like that,” he said finally. “You’ve come such a long way in a short amount of time, so I can understand how you feel.”

“Really?” Solo stared up at him.

He nodded curtly. Turning away slightly, he said, “I’m going to discuss our next move with Kells. When you’re ready, meet me on the command deck and I’ll give you a full report.”

“Will do, sir,” Solo said wryly.


	33. Bonus (Part III) - The End and the Beginning

“I want to make one thing clear to everyone: this body might be a synth, but my heart and mind belong to the Brotherhood.” 

The two lines of the Brotherhood’s highest-ranked soldiers and scribes all surveyed him in silence, none of them showing much more than comprehension on their faces. Solo stood stiffly among them, hands behind her back, dressed in a spare BOS suit and gazing at Danse with a sense of pride. He was wearing Maxson’s battle coat now, and with his healing wounds from combat, he looked like a real warrior – a man truly capable of leading a branch of the Commonwealth’s largest army. Her mind was in a jumble despite how happy she was to find that her friend had become Elder. She was thinking about how she’d leave the Brotherhood. When she’d heard about soldiers retiring previously, it had always been after a ceremony attended by everyone on the ship, meant to honor them and give them a proper farewell. The preparations often took days. Would she have enough time during those days to send Piper another message? Or perhaps it would be better just to surprise her, turning up on her doorstep a week from now…

“… We may have bested them, but the Institute is still a tremendous threat to the Commonwealth,” Danse was saying. “They possess technologies which need to be confiscated or destroyed. And even if that means I have to pull the trigger on my own kind, I’m willing to make that sacrifice.”

His eyes momentarily met Solo’s, and she felt a cold chill run through her as she remembered what she’d told him about Acadia and all the synths who had gone there seeking refuge. While he was her friend and even a synth himself, could she really trust him not to send the Brotherhood there to destroy them all? Would he go that far?

But his eyes moved on, and she allowed herself to relax. Not even Danse would do something so cruel.

“The Litany is clear,” a man beside Danse said resolutely – he was dressed in a long grey coat and had salt-and-pepper hair that was much longer than was customary for Brotherhood soldiers. Still, he was undeniably a Brotherhood soldier just from how assertively he stood. “We have a new Elder.”

“Hear, hear!” the group chorused.

“Only one question remains. Will the rest of the Brotherhood fall in line?”

There was a worrying pause during which Solo had to force herself not to look around at the faces of her comrades; she kept her eyes expertly trained on the speaker’s face.

“Yes, sir!” they all chorused finally, some with more enthusiasm than others – all the same, it seemed Danse’s authority would be accepted after all. Solo breathed out a short sigh of relief and fought back a smile. She could almost taste the freedom already.

Elder Danse turned to one of the scribes in the room, a woman who had recently been promoted from field to senior due to her undying loyalty to the Brotherhood’s cause and incredible skill for her job. Solo knew her, of course: Scribe Haylen was an old friend from her first few months in the Commonwealth.

“Haylen, head back to Cambridge and make sure the police station is secure,” Danse ordered. The young woman nodded eagerly.

“Ingram? I hear you’re still conducting repairs on what’s left of Liberty Prime.”

“Yes, sir,” Proctor Ingram replied ardently.

“Tell me if you make any progress. Let’s get to it, people!”

The group dispersed immediately, everyone heading to their stations on the ship to continue their jobs with renewed vigor. With a new Elder stationed above them, they’d be under even more scrutiny than usual, especially considering the arrival of the man in the grey coat – Solo had only just recognized the symbols on his uniform. He wasn’t from Boston, but from wherever the Brotherhood of Steel’s focal base was. He was a member of the military court, which she had only heard about in snippets from other soldiers. They managed every branch of the Brotherhood in all parts of the country, the true heart of the cause, and they didn’t normally bother to journey out from wherever they were stationed. Before she’d entered the Brotherhood, Solo hadn’t even known that there were people left outside of Boston; now she knew that the West coast, otherwise known as the Capital Wasteland, was full of people just like those in in the East, struggling with the aftermath of a war that had happened two centuries ago. It was up to the Brotherhood’s military court to protect all of these people, apparently, and keep technology from falling into the wrong hands.

Solo strode towards Danse and offered her arm. After a few seconds of hesitation, Danse clasped it in a gesture of esteem and smiled faintly. “Ad Victoriam, Sentinel,” he said.

“Not Sentinel for much longer, I hope,” she returned.

Danse lowered his chin. “Of course.”

They parted, and he turned to usher the grey-coated man into their conversation. “This is Trevor Bowser, chairman of the Brotherhood military court.”

Solo raised her eyebrows, surprised she hadn’t met him before. Of course, she’d been aware that there were positions in the Brotherhood much higher than that of Elder, but she’d never figured she’d see possibly the most superior officer out here in the ruins of the Commonwealth. This man must have made the trip especially for Danse’s sake, which seemed… odd, considering the Brotherhood’s opinion of synths. Or perhaps that was the main reason why he’d come all this way.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Solo said politely.

The man had the weathered face and slightly shaggy look of a sailor, making him appear inexplicably warm and friendly. When he spoke, however, he turned out to be exactly the opposite.

“So, I finally get to meet our famous recruit,” he remarked. “Too bad the circumstances are less than pleasant.” He looked her up and down, then angled his body towards Danse. “It’s… unfortunate you chose a mindless machine over the best Elder the Brotherhood could ever ask for.”

Solo was surprised at his straightforwardness and the bitterness in his tone, but she didn’t show it. Instead, she glanced momentarily at Danse to see his reaction. His face was carefully expressionless.

“Where are my manners?” Bowser said suddenly. “Danse only partly introduced me. As chairman, I’m responsible for running the Brotherhood’s jurisdiction, which also qualifies me as an expert on the Litany. I was contacted and informed about Danse formally challenging Maxson – of course, since he was Paladin and the Litany does not explicitly rule against synths issuing challenges and _winning_ them… there wasn’t any way for us to change the course of the events. I am here now to honor him and welcome him into the fold as the new Elder. Isn’t that right, Danse?”

“Affirmative.”

“I also intend to keep an eye on things,” Chairman Bowser said. “We’ve never had one of our divisions run by a… non-human before.”

“You have nothing to worry about, I assure you,” Danse expressed.

“Maybe it could even teach you something,” Solo added pointedly, unable to help herself.

The man glanced between them skeptically, but he didn’t seem to want to argue. “I suppose we’ll see.”

“Chairman, the real reason I wanted you to speak with Sentinel Woods is because she has made the decision to retire from the Brotherhood,” Danse rejoined, smoothly switching the subject. “Effective immediately.”

“Retire?” Trevor Bowser looked at Solo with even more interest now. “But surely you’ve just witnessed a major success? Does your new Elder not inspire you to want to stay?”

“I made the decision to leave a while ago, sir,” Solo said, still careful to be gracious. “Perhaps it’s not for me to say, but… I feel I’ve done more for the Brotherhood than many of your soldiers have in years – for some of them, perhaps ever. The Institute is gone. The Commonwealth is slowly being cleansed. Would it really be an issue if I chose to retire for good?”

Bowser considered her thoughtfully. A slight smile was on his face. “I’ve heard plenty of stories about you,” he said, amused. “Word is, you’re possibly one of the greatest soldiers we’ve had on the East coast in half a century. The court’s opinion of you is high.”

Solo felt a little flush of pride. “I’m flattered.”

“I’d have thought you a better candidate for Elder…” He glanced pointedly at Danse, “… but I guess you’ll be going down in the history books in other ways. And I can’t deny that it was your choice of Danse’s side over Maxson’s which drove the court to lean more in his favor. If not for you, I doubt any of the Brotherhood would have allowed the possibility of a synth becoming Elder.”

Danse smiled faintly.

“As for retirement…” Trevor Bowser sighed. “As much as I’d like to, I can’t stop you if you want to leave. The Litany states that any soldier is permitted to retire from duty either due to old age, serious injury, or having served on active duty for twenty years. You’ve certainly not been with us that long, but after your work on decimating the Institute, the military court states that you’re free to retire with extra benefits – as much pay, weapons and armor as you need.”

Solo felt her eyes light up. “Really?”

“You’ll need to have a ceremony, obviously. As I’m here, I can certainly help speed the process along. After that, you can say your goodbyes.”

The chairman turned away from both of them so he could stare out at the city. It was exactly two mornings after Maxson’s death, and the day was surprisingly clear and sunny. The biting chill of winter would be lifted from those unlucky enough to be living without shelter, those suffering from cold illnesses, from lack of warmth and security. It was those people, Solo thought, that she’d like to begin helping. The ones who the Brotherhood never had the time to help, because they were always seeking to benefit the greater good. She could finally start making real differences to the Commonwealth.

“Thank you, sir,” she said quietly. Chairman Bowser smiled at her, but it was Danse who she was really directing her words at. The other man didn’t acknowledge her, but she could tell he’d understood.

“You’re dismissed, Sentinel,” Danse said. “The next couple of days should be quick – quicker, as the chairman is here – but you have a lot to do before you’ll be permitted to leave. You’ll have oaths to declare, medical papers to sign… I think you understand.”

“I do,” Solo said, unwaveringly happy. No matter how much she had to do in order to get out of the Brotherhood, she was willing to put all of her effort into it. She wanted to go home and get started on her new life, this one with Piper in it. And Nat. And their home in Diamond City. A new job helping people who actually needed her directly. A wedding which all of her favourite people would attend.

“See you around, soldier,” Danse said quietly.

“See you around… Elder.”

 ---

The ceremony, when it happened, was almost somber. Solo hadn’t made that many friends in the Brotherhood, as she’d always kept to herself, but she’d earned the respect of people like Proctor Ingram and Quinlain, and she had friends in Haylen and Danse. It wasn’t her lack of friends which made it seem so sad, however. As she made her way through the crowd of seated people to stand by Danse so she could receive her medals of honor and distinguished service, everyone seemed to react to her passing as they would a coffin being taken to its grave. All of them knew the story of her son and the part she had played in taking down the Institute – it was safe to say that her presence and the legacy she had made would never be forgotten. Even when she was gone, even despite her months of desertion from the Brotherhood and her direct disobeying of Maxson’s orders, she would be remembered as their hero: Sentinel Woods. She would still have scribes seeking her out to ask her advice on the Institute, as she was considered an expert in all of their technology. Just like she would always be a part of them, they would always be a part of her.

For once, she was okay with that.

Now, she was sitting in her old room, this time with the door unlocked and no handcuffs around her wrists. The two medals were tossed on her pillow and she was busy packing up all her things: all the clothes left over which she hadn’t taken before, the books she’d used to read, the ammunition in the box at the foot of her bed. Looking at the medals made her feel oddly proud, because they reminded her of Nate. He’d been on track to receive one of them – distinguished service – when he’d been in the army before the war, but the bombs had fallen before he could fully prove himself. These felt like a tribute to him, even though they were surely looted from some US army bunker a century ago. At least they were real, and they were hers.

Before packing the rest of her things away, Solo suddenly had the urge to get dressed in her uniform one final time. She put on the black BOS uniform she’d worn to her own retirement ceremony and brushed her hair, smoothing it back. The dark brown was really beginning to show past the roots now, and the ends reached past her shoulders. When she looked in the little mirror beside her bed, her face was hollowed by the bright light overhead and her eyes looked firm. Deftly, she attached the two medals to the breast of her uniform and grinned at them. While she’d take them off later, the uniform itself didn’t make her feel so bad anymore – perhaps she’d even wear it home. Suddenly, her time spent in the Brotherhood was something to be proud of. It wasn’t redemption exactly, but she no longer felt like such a terrible person.

Solo turned and began putting the t-shirt and jeans she’d set out into her bag, but was interrupted by a loud rap on her door. Turning in confusion, she walked over to open it. “Yes?”

The soldier standing on the other side looked at her boredly. “There’s a woman down at the airport – says she’s here to see you. It’s very urgent. Elder says we need permission in order to allow people onto the ship-”

“Who?”

The man started. “Excuse me, Ma’am?”

“Who’s the woman?” Solo inquired.

“Oh. Uh…” He winced. “They didn’t tell me her name. They just said she knows you and won’t stop requesting to see you. Apparently, she’s been down there since last night and she won’t leave.”

Solo felt her jaw drop.

“Ma’am, are you all right?”

“Yes,” Solo said hazily. “Just… send her up. Straight away.” She paused. “Why wasn’t I notified of this when she arrived last night?”

“I don’t know.”

“For god’s–” She cut herself off. “Actually, don’t send her up.” Urgently, she tore the medals from her uniform and turned back so she could fling them on her bed. “I’ll go and meet her.”

The man looked at her a little strangely. “Are you sure everything’s okay, Ma’am? I could get them to send her away if something’s bothering you-”

Solo pushed past him, pulling the collar of her uniform down from her throat slightly as she felt a lump of anxiety growing there. “No – nope, don’t need your help. She’s a friend.” Before descending the ladder, Solo paused and turned back to the soldier, who was still standing outside her door and looking very confused. “More than a friend, actually… How do I look?”

A smile broke out on his face. “Very good, Ma’am.”

“Thanks.” She began climbing, quickly moving rung by rung until she was on the main command deck. Through the doorway, she caught a glimpse of two men standing side by side – Danse and Bowser – but she didn’t have time to greet them. She strode swift and sure across the decks until she reached the doorway that led outside. Even as the wind and the cold tore at her, she moved at the same speed and with the same confidence, all the time thinking of the woman who was here to see her.

 _I’m in trouble_ , part of her was thinking. The other part was thinking, _I’m in love_.

She managed to get one of the pilots to abandon his lunch and fly her down to Boston Airport, and as she climbed into the vertibird, she could feel her heart hammering in her chest as if she was heading into battle. She clutched her seat, anxiety mixing with utter excitement.

How could she have known that Piper would actually receive those letters and come out here to find her? Well… it was quite predictable, really. It was an incredibly Piper-esque thing to do.

As they were flying, she found herself scanning the ground through the clouds, trying to catch some glimpse of a familiar red coat, automatically smiling whenever she thought she saw it. Her hands were tingling, and her face was numb from the cold, but it was the rapid beating of her heart which had her attention – as if it had just noticed its counterpart’s closeness after so long being far away. All night and morning, Piper had been here, and Solo hadn’t had any idea.

The moment the vertibird touched down on the airport’s roof, Solo was leaping out, crouching to avoid the bladed wings. She barely managed a greeting to the soldiers waiting for her. Instead, she demanded, “Where is she?”

They looked at her quizzically. “Ma’am, we-”

“Red coat, black hair, asks a load of annoying questions. Sound familiar?” She had to shout over the noise of the vertibird as it took off again, and she was hardly sure if they’d heard her. Impatiently, she snapped, “Never mind!”

They stared at her as she strode past determinedly, already heading for the stairs. She’d look for Piper herself. She’d recognize her anywhere, after all.

The lower levels of the building were filled with crates and important cargo, scribes walking the aisles and taking inventory. As she passed, they stared at her too, like she was some ghost come back to haunt them. Finally, she was outside in the courtyard and paused to catch her breath, squinting around her. The last time she’d seen Piper suddenly seemed like years ago. She was aching just to look at her, to hear her talk, even if she was angry. That day, that breezy day, she let her memory of Piper’s voice soak in, her words, her sarcastic humor and her terrible jokes.

And then she saw her.

Piper was standing with her hands in the pockets of her trench coat, looking particularly irritated while she was guarded by a soldier in power armour. They hadn’t even let her in past the gate. She didn’t look tired, though. As far as Solo knew, that stance meant she wasn’t even close to giving up, and she’d keep on standing there for a week if she had to. All of a sudden, Solo felt calm and assured. An uncertain smile grew on her face as she began to walk over, worrying that she looked as anxious as she felt. As she drew closer, she saw Piper’s head turn, as if she’d sensed Solo was there, and they made fleeting eye contact. The look that flashed between them was one of so many messages and emotions that it was impossible to decipher.

Luckily, they didn’t need words.

“You can go,” Solo said quickly to the guard, coming up behind him. He turned and saw her, then nodded reluctantly and began to walk away, leaving them alone in the gateway. Her eyes were drawn involuntarily back to Piper’s face, checking for differences, for anger or coldness. But Piper was completely unreadable for once.

Awkwardly, Solo took a step forward, unsure whether the reporter was even happy to see her. She wanted to explain, to apologize, to say so many things, but in the end it didn’t matter; the moment she was within five feet of her, Piper suddenly seemed to break out of her façade. She strode forwards and threw her arms around Solo’s neck, hugging her so tightly that she imagined her ribs had cracked. Solo pulled her in closer anyway, breathing in the smell of her hair and feeling her heartbeat speed up all over again. Very abruptly, she felt the urge to laugh out loud, or cry, or do something equally as absurd. After all the stress of the past couple of weeks, seeing Piper here had suddenly made it all seem much more real. And it emphasized the fact that her time with the Brotherhood was now completely over.

Solo hugged her even tighter, letting out a heavy sigh, until she heard Piper mumble, “Blue, you’re suffocating me.”

“Sorry.” Solo loosened her arms, but she didn’t let go. “Can you say it again?”

“Huh?”

“My name.”

Piper pulled back properly until she could see her face, and Solo almost drowned in her smile. “Blue.”

“Pipes.”

They stared at each other, and Solo was almost sure she saw some wetness in Piper’s eyes. It seemed it had been a stressful time for both of them. She pressed her palm to Piper’s face, but the woman flinched away and frowned.

Assuming the storm was about to come, Solo pulled back and began, “I’m sorry, I’m so-”

“No, no…” Piper laughed. “Your hand’s cold. That’s all.”

Solo paused, feeling like an idiot. “…I’m sorry for that, too.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “Let’s go inside. Somewhere we can be alone. And warm.”

And so, not for one moment letting go of Piper’s hand, Solo lead her up onto the airport’s roof and they waited for a vertibird to take them up to the airship. Piper seemed skeptical of the idea of entering the Brotherhood’s territory, but she seemed more eager to talk to Solo about what had happened than upset about what she thought of the faction. The longer they didn’t talk, the more tense Solo began to feel. She just wanted to be alone with Piper, but it was taking much too long.

Finally, as the vertibird docked on the airship, Solo took Piper’s hand with renewed determination and guided her quickly inside. They ignored all of the soldiers, and by the time they ended up at Solo’s quarters, it suddenly seemed as if they would die if they didn’t have some alone time. Solo locked the door behind her once they were both in the room and then immediately drew Piper into her arms again. There was no protest whatsoever. Again, they stood there in a seemingly never-ending hug, drinking in each other’s presence until the silence had gone on for too long. Solo was the first to pull away, walking over to her bed and sitting on the edge. “So,” she said.

“Nice medals.” Piper walked over and sat beside her, picking up the ribbons so she could examine them against her palm. “I guess this means…”

“Danse is Elder – it _worked_ , Pipes. That means we can-”

“All night,” Piper interrupted.

“What?”

“I was waiting all night.” She dropped the medals back on the mattress and stood up again. Her movements were a bit agitated. “I wasn’t sure what the hell had happened, and no one would tell me what was going on. You could’ve been dead, or locked up, and I’d have had _no_ idea _…”_

“Piper, I-”

“I know you can make it without me watching your back, but… Blue, that goddamn letter – you made it sound like you and Danse were committing suicide!”

“I’m sorry.”

“When you left, you even told me you’d be fine, and nothing bad was going to happen. I feel like such an idiot.”

“I _am_ fine. Can’t you see that?”

Piper crossed her arms, shaking her head. “When I saw you this morning, and you were alive and happy, wearing that uniform, it surprised me how at ease you were.” She looked up, finally meeting Solo’s eyes. “I suddenly wondered if you’d chosen to stay. And I hated that idea just as much as the possibility of you being hurt.”

Solo stood up suddenly. “Piper, you can’t be serious.”

“If you're… drifting back into old habits, tell me now. I want us to be real clear with each other.”

“I’m not.” Solo stepped forward to grasp her shoulders, wanting to give her a little shake. “I’m _not_ – are you crazy? How could I ever return to the Brotherhood after everything that’s happened, everything that changed?”

“So Danse didn’t ask you to stay? You weren’t tempted to continue working with him?”

“Not even in the slightest.” Solo loosened her grip on Piper’s shoulders. She suddenly couldn’t stop smiling. “You idiot. Did you really think so?”

“All right – don’t rub it in,” Piper grumbled.

Solo pulled away and turned back to her bed. She gestured to her bag. “See? I was packing before I heard you were here. The ceremony this morning was for my retirement. That’s how I got the medals.”

“Huh.”

“Any more irrational worries you’d like to confide in me?”

Piper pressed a hand to her forehead. “Damn it, Blue.”

“I love you,” Solo said softly. “Okay? This whole time, the only thing I could think about was getting back to you. I’m sorry I put myself in danger without telling you, but it was the only way I knew how not to get you involved.”

She glanced up. “Really?”

“Really.”

“That’s… romantic,” Piper teased.

“Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not!” The reporter took off her cap and tossed it aside. Before she approached, she arched an eyebrow and said, “Just for the record, Blue, I’m still angry at you for not telling me everything before you left. But I’m willing to overlook that for the moment.”

Solo smiled knowingly at her as she came closer. “You can’t be serious.”

“What?”

“I’m meant to be leaving this afternoon, Pipes. They’re expecting me on the bridge at three.”

Piper reached around her neck and fumbled for the zip of her uniform, pressing a heated kiss to her lips as she finally caught it. “They can wait. I’ve been expecting you for longer.”

The kiss had caught Solo off-guard, and she was suddenly frantic with the very same need to touch Piper and be with her in more ways than one. It had been too many weeks, and they were fraught with too much emotion to ignore it. She leaned down to follow-up the kiss with one of her own, pulling Piper hard against her. They reached fervently for one another, gasping, kissing, until they had some success with stripping off each other’s clothes and ended up on the bed. Piper quickly scrambled on top of her and began kissing her neck and chest and stomach – Solo watched, threading her fingers through her girlfriend’s hair, trying not to lose control before they had even started. Finally, she felt Piper’s hand move to exactly where she wanted it, followed immediately by the soft warmth of her mouth.

Solo gasped through her teeth, fingers tightening reflexively in Piper’s hair. She was already close, and they’d barely begun. One of Piper’s hands migrated upwards again, and Solo found their fingers laced together – a surprisingly sweet gesture in contrast to the rather provoking nature of what she was doing. Since Piper knew exactly how to work her up, Solo soon found herself rapidly flying over the edge. Piper didn’t stop until she’d stopped shaking, and even then she didn’t move from between her legs, glancing up to observe her face.

“Come here,” Solo said simply.

Piper climbed up her body and into her arms, and Solo kissed her, framing her face with both hands. She wanted to return the favour, but it seemed Piper had other ideas in mind; already, her hand was stroking Solo’s stomach again, inching towards the overly sensitive area between her thighs. Solo couldn’t help but watch its slow path, sensing that Piper was watching her closely. Finally, she said, “I’m not sure I can take round two.”

“Yes, you can.” Piper sounded completely certain, and she accompanied it with a beam. She took one of Solo’s hands and placed it on her hip. “Distract yourself, if you want.”

Solo didn’t need to be given permission a second time.

By the time they were both finished, they were tangled up and half-laughing. Piper leaned up on one elbow and tucked Solo’s hair behind one ear, looking down at her with a pleased smile.

“That’s what happens when you leave me alone for weeks,” she said flatly.

Solo couldn’t help but chuckle. “Are you trying to encourage me to leave again and stay away for longer?”

“No.” Piper’s eyes flashed. “Actually, yes. Maybe.”

Reaching up to kiss her, Solo reluctantly sat and swung her legs out of bed, reaching for her clothes. She groaned. “I don’t think I can stand.”

Piper looked delighted. “Come back here, then. Who cares about some stupid meeting?”

“I do, Pipes.” She began pulling on her discarded BOS uniform, her tired legs complaining at the effort. “Because it’s part of my leaving process.”

Laying back, Piper stretched her arms above her head and sighed. “Long journey back home.”

“I know.”

“Have you thought about… the wedding?”

Solo paused in zipping up her uniform, turning to make sense of Piper’s expression. “Of course I have,” she said softly. “Have you?”

“Not after I got your letter. I thought it wasn’t gonna happen.”

“Do you still want it to?”

Piper shrugged. “Back when we were planning it, I couldn’t think of anything better. Now… it suddenly doesn’t seem so important anymore. I love you whether I have a ring on my finger on not, Blue.”

Smiling, Solo reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Whatever you want, we’ll do it. But let’s focus on getting home first.”

She stood and zipped her uniform the rest of the way, running her fingers through her hair in some effort to manage the mess it had become. When she turned back to the bed, Piper was watching her with a faint – and rather secretive – smile.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Piper shook her head and drew the sheets up around her. “I’m gonna sleep until you’re done.”

“I’ll make sure no one bothers you.” Before leaving the room, Solo couldn’t help but climb back onto the mattress and lean to kiss Piper one more time, dodging her reaching hands. “I’ll be back in less than an hour,” she promised. “Don’t get into trouble.”

“Trouble? While I’m sleeping?”

Solo narrowed her eyes. “I know you. You start trying to interview soldiers or snoop around the ship, I’ll hear about it.”

She sighed. “Jeez, fine.”

“I’m serious, Piper. Don’t mess this up for me – I’m lucky to be leaving on good terms.”

“I get it!”

“Good.”

“Just so you know, I will be putting this in the paper,” she muttered.

Solo, who had just been turning to leave, sighed and turned back. “Why? Do you really think the Commonwealth needs to know about any of this? Most of them wouldn’t want the commander of their biggest army to be a synth.”

“But Danse _is_ a synth. That’s the truth,” Piper said. “It seems like most of the Brotherhood has accepted it, so why not try and make the Commonwealth get used to it, too?”

“Piper…”

“Synths shouldn’t need to run off to some island just to feel safe and accepted,” she insisted. “They should be able to feel safe here, too, just as long as they aren’t hurting anyone. Most of them are innocent, especially now the Institute’s not around to control them.”

Solo was silent. Finally, she smiled and walked towards the door. Every time she forgot about what the right thing was, Piper was there to remind her. She constantly seemed to be thinking about the good of the people, and what the truth could do to free them. While Solo had a long way to go, she hoped to be more like the reporter someday – more open-minded, perhaps. More selfless.

“I’ll see you later, Pipes,” she said.

“Wait – are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Solo unlocked the door and opened it, hesitating. “I’m serious about not getting into trouble, but… if you want to conduct a few interviews, I’ll see if I can direct some guards over here.”

Piper sat up eagerly. “Really?”

“Really,” Solo confirmed. “Get dressed, though. I wouldn’t want them becoming over-excited.”

The reporter quickly jumped out of bed and began scrambling for her clothes. “You won’t regret it, Blue.”

“I’m sure, somehow, I will. But it’s worth it.” She shot her girlfriend a smile, and then left the room, shutting the door behind her. As she made her way across the platform to the canteen to grab a bite to eat before the meeting, she found herself taking note of all the things that she was likely to miss. The hallways were cold, but they were neat and clean, just the way she liked them. The armory was filled with all the weapons and armor she had collected over many months – everything that had used to make her feel safe and powerful. While plain, the canteen food was always tasteful, and their coffee machine had saved her from many nights without sleep. Most of all, though, she would probably miss Danse. He had been a good friend. If she hadn’t chosen to spare his life all those months ago; if she hadn’t decided to break through that wall… he would be dead. They wouldn’t have come full-circle.

But here she was. Saying goodbye for the final time.

As she took up a mutfruit and a bottle of Nuka-Cola, Solo glanced at a soldier sitting on a stool beside her. “Hey,” she said. “You look like you’d be good at answering questions.”

His eyes widened, as if he couldn’t believe she was speaking to him. “Uh – yeah! I can do that, Ma’am.”

“Do you know where my quarters are?”

“No, Ma’am.”

“To the left of the Elder’s, where the ladder to the lower decks is.” Solo smiled at him. “There’s a reporter – a friend of mine – waiting who’d like to interview you. And some other soldiers, if you can round them up. If you do any good, I’ll put in a good word for you when I see Danse.”

The soldier immediately stood, nodding. “Thank you, Ma’am.”

“No problem. Get to it.”

He strode off, and she watched him go, taking a thoughtful bite of the mutfruit. Perhaps she’d also miss this sense of power, as much as she hated to admit it. It felt so good to have people at her beck and call, doing everything she asked.

It was always important to know when something had reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it didn't matter what it was called; what mattered was to leave in the past those moments in life that were over. And for Solo, the Brotherhood was over. Just like her time spent with Nate and Shaun before the war. She was more than ready to move on and open up another chapter in her life – a much better one, that she had more control over.

It was time to start at the beginning again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't fit in anything about Nick Valentine, but I felt the chronology of it didn't make sense. If you've played the Far Harbour DLC, you'll know his reaction to DiMA, anyway. 
> 
> I'm also sorry I left the whole idea of their marriage on an ambiguous note - I had this notion that a great big wedding ceremony simply didn't matter that much to either Solo or Piper, even though they were both enthusiastic about it. What mattered to them was that they were together, finally, and that they were willing to spend the rest of their lives with each other. The Brotherhood was out of the way, and so was the danger of Far Harbour and whatever differences they'd used to have. As a writer, I felt that was all my readers needed to know for sure. Their future? Solo moves in with Piper and Nat, begins taking jobs in settlements near Diamond City (doing Minutemen-themed stuff, helping people - the works), and lives a much simpler, more selfless life. Piper publishes her book on Far Harbour and raises the Commonwealth's awareness of synths. As far as I'm concerned, they live happily ever after. 
> 
> FYI: I intentionally left the story on a more ambiguous note, with all that "new chapter", "new beginning" stuff. Honestly, there's still a chance I might add something else at some point in the future since I enjoyed writing it so much. For now, though, I think I've written all I possibly could, and it's time to say goodbye.
> 
> Check out my other works in this series if you want more. Also, since I might be releasing another Fallout 4-based series soon (also based on Companion-F!SS relationships/storylines, but not like you think...), keep tabs on me. All I'll say now is the titles are _Lost Legacy_ and _Moonlight's Edge_.


End file.
